Large Gathering of Citizens in Abadan on the Anniversary of the Metropol Tower Collapse

A large group of citizens gathered on the first anniversary of the Metropol Tower collapse on Amir Street in Abadan to mourn and commemorate the victims. According to reports on social media, on Tuesday, May 23, despite the closure of routes leading to Amir Street, the site of the Metropol structure collapse, people made their way to the area for the gathering. During this protest, while commemorating the victims of the Metropol collapse, the protesters mourned by playing drums and performing chest-beating rituals. They held images of some of the victims and chanted, 'Abadan is heartbroken.' At the same time, a video of Ramin Masoumi and Maryam Ghorbani, a young couple who died in the Metropol collapse, gained attention on social media. Hediyeh Kimiaei, a social journalist, criticized the judicial process of the Metropol case, stating that 'according to the Islamic Republic's procedure in such crimes,' the first action of the Iranian government is 'to conceal the essence of the matter' through the dissemination of a large amount of false information. The Metropol commercial complex in Abadan collapsed on May 23, 2022, due to non-compliance with safety standards during construction, resulting in the deaths of 43 people and injuries to 37 others, sparking widespread protests in Khuzestan province and other parts of Iran. Officials announced that Hossein Abdolbaghi, the owner of the Metropol holding, who was identified as the main culprit for the building's collapse, was killed under the rubble. Subsequently, several armed individuals killed his brother, Majid Abdolbaghi, in front of his house. At least 23 people, including two former mayors of Abadan, were arrested as 'culprits in the Metropol building collapse,' and indictments were issued for 20 individuals. However, ultimately, the judiciary issued a three-year prison sentence and ordered compensation payments for the culprits, along with removal from public service and revocation of employment licenses for those responsible for the collapse of the ten-story building.