Lawyer of the Victims' Families Emphasizes Deficiencies in the Case: I Am Not Optimistic About the Court's Ruling

Manoush Manouchehri, the lawyer for the victims' families of Dariush Mehrjui and Vahideh Mohammadi-Far, emphasized the existence of "formal and substantive deficiencies" in the case, stating that one cannot be optimistic about the ruling issued by the court. On Wednesday, February 7, he told the Tehran-based newspaper Etemad that despite his numerous requests, "the items that should normally be provided to the plaintiffs and their lawyers during the proceedings" have not been given to him, and the process has "multiple flaws." According to the lawyer for the victims' families of the renowned Iranian director Dariush Mehrjui and his wife Vahideh Mohammadi-Far, he expressed hope that the court would "return this murder case to the prosecutor's office for the purpose of correcting" the deficiencies and "completing the investigations," otherwise, "one cannot be optimistic about the ruling issued." Manouchehri stated that based on the "latest forensic report" and even its "image," it has not yet been "communicated" to the plaintiffs and their lawyers for review. The lawyer also mentioned that "there has been opposition to obtaining copies of the case files, and the complete reconstruction video of the crime scene has not been seen by us so far." The court session regarding the murder case of Dariush Mehrjui, the famous filmmaker, and his wife Vahideh Mohammadi-Far, lasted 11 hours on January 18 in the first branch of the Criminal Court of Alborz Province. The Judiciary of the Islamic Republic has announced that the two defendants in the case do not have identification documents and medical tests have shown that they have not yet reached legal age. According to state media reports, in the final court session, one of the defendants named Eskandar stated that "our goal was not to kill anyone; we only intended to rob Mehrjui's house," while the other defendant named Mirowis claimed that their intention was "murder." Additionally, it is noted that the main defendant in the murder case of Dariush Mehrjui and Vahideh Mohammadi-Far, on Wednesday, January 17, stated in the Alborz Criminal Court session that he did not commit this murder and "confessed under duress." The appeals court confirmed the prison sentences issued against Asadollah Fakhimi and Houri Khanpour. A condemned prisoner died in Tabriz prison following a suicide. Khosrow Alikordi, a lawyer for political prisoners and the families of the victims, was once again summoned to the judiciary. The defendant in the murder of Mehrjui and Mohammadi-Far stated: "I confessed under duress." The appeals court confirmed the prison sentences issued against Asadollah Fakhimi and Houri Khanpour. A condemned prisoner died in Tabriz prison following a suicide. Khosrow Alikordi, a lawyer for political prisoners and the families of the victims, was once again summoned to the judiciary.