One Dead and Five Poisoned in Zanjan After Consuming Fake Alcohol

The pre-hospital emergency services of Zanjan province reported the death of one person and the poisoning of five others due to the use of counterfeit alcoholic beverages. According to this center, the likelihood of an increase in fatalities from this poisoning is high. Deaths and poisonings resulting from the consumption of counterfeit alcoholic beverages have made headlines in recent weeks, with the newspaper Etemad reporting on Thursday, October 11, that 41 people have died in the past 10 days due to alcohol poisoning in Iran. The report indicated that 343 poisonings and 41 deaths have been recorded in the provinces of Mazandaran, Gilan, Hamadan, and Kurdistan. The judiciary announced that following the rise in the number of deaths and poisonings, 22 individuals have been arrested on charges of murder and the production and distribution of alcoholic beverages in the provinces of Mazandaran, Gilan, and Hamadan. Reports indicate that the condition of the poisoned individuals in Mazandaran is very critical, with the director of medical services at Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences stating that 16 patients are hospitalized in the ICU due to poisoning from counterfeit alcohol. Rasool Zafarmand reported that the number of poisonings in the ten days leading to October 10 was 284, with 60 of these individuals hospitalized. The attempt to impose the policies of the Islamic Republic on the personal lives of citizens and intervene in their lifestyles, including the prohibition of alcoholic beverages, has repeatedly claimed victims in Iran. Since the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979, the production, preparation, distribution, and consumption of alcoholic beverages have been deemed 'illegal,' with various punishments, including execution. In 2018, the World Health Organization reported that Iran ranked ninth in per capita alcohol consumption among 189 countries worldwide. The increase in mortality rates due to counterfeit alcohol consumption in Iran has raised concerns, with discussions about potential 'governmental murder' linked to the issue.