Four Family Members in Shahreza Victims of Acid Attack

A family of four in Shahreza, Isfahan province, has been attacked with acid, and reports indicate the condition of two of the victims is critical. Setareh Khosravi, head of the Isfahan police's criminal investigation department, stated that the attack occurred on Saturday morning, March 18, and the motive was a 'family dispute.' The police official identified the victims as a 53-year-old father, a 48-year-old mother, a 23-year-old son, and a 20-year-old daughter. In this attack, the father, mother, and son suffered severe injuries to their faces and heads, while the daughter was injured in her leg. The head of the Isfahan police's criminal investigation department added that 'the suspect has been identified, and the circumstances of the incident and his motive are under investigation.' Jahangir Karami, the social deputy of the Isfahan police command, also reported that the family has been transferred to the burn and trauma center in Isfahan. Additionally, Fereydoun Abedini, head of the specialized burn hospital in Isfahan, told Tasnim news agency that the condition of the four individuals is 'stable' and added, 'Currently, doctors cannot provide an accurate assessment of the severity of their burns and injuries.' The primary targets of acid attacks in Iran are young women, who are selected by perpetrators for various personal motives or other reasons. Family disputes have also been reported as a factor in some acid attacks in Iran. The head of the specialized burn hospital in Isfahan noted that 'personal and family hostilities can lead to physical and psychological harm to individuals that can sometimes be irreparable and irreversible.' In the third week of March this year, the police in Mahshahr reported an acid attack on two women in this port city in Khuzestan province, and no reports have been published regarding the identification and arrest of the perpetrators of these attacks. Acid attacks on women in Iran have gained special sensitivity in Iranian society since October 2014, following an acid attack on six women in Isfahan. This sensitivity increased when reports emerged about the 'religious' motives of the perpetrators of the acid attack on these six women, and none of the perpetrators have been identified or arrested to date. According to Iranian law, 'if an acid attack results in death, the punishment is qisas (retribution), and otherwise, based on Article 612 of the Penal Code, the perpetrator may face three to ten years in prison.' Currently, the average punishment for acid attacks, as determined by judges based on Article 614 of the Islamic Penal Code, is about two to five years in prison and payment of diya (blood money).