Reports of the Murder of 3 Disabled Children in Various Parts of Iran; Father of Victim Released 'Two Days Later' from Detention

As protests by disabled individuals over budget shortages and government facilities escalate, reports from Iran indicate an increase in violence against this vulnerable group of citizens. An Iranian media outlet reported that this winter, each month, a disabled child has been killed by family members. According to the website 'Payam-e Ma', rising inflation and the non-implementation of the law supporting disabled individuals are among the underlying factors for these murders. In this report, a mother of an autistic child stated that 'no agency' provides the necessary support for 'these individuals', and 'even the government, which is supposed to pay a living allowance according to the law, shirks its duty.' In Esfand, a young autistic boy was killed by his mother in Khorramabad, the capital of Lorestan province. The news agency 'Rokna', which follows incident news in Iran, quoted Abdolreza Derakhshan, the head of the Khorramabad police, stating that the mother of the murdered child declared her motivation for killing her son was 'fatigue from his illness.' Additionally, media in Iran reported the murder of a 10-year-old disabled child by his mother. Previously, the 'Disability Campaign' account on X reported the murder of 'Shahrad Cheraghi', a 9-year-old boy with autism, 'by his father.' According to this report, the child's father was released from detention two days after the murder. Under Islamic Penal Code, the father has guardianship over the child, and according to Article 220 of this law, 'a father or paternal grandfather who kills his child is not subject to retaliation and will be sentenced to pay blood money to the heirs of the victim and to punishment.' Furthermore, the 'Payam-e Ma' website reported that a 16-year-old boy with mental disabilities was also killed in Dey in Meybod, Yazd province, and his body was found 'in a well around the Mehrjerd neighborhood.' The newspaper 'Etimad' reported, citing an informed source, that 'the father and half-brother' of this teenager, named Abolfazl, have been detained on suspicion of his murder. In recent months, several protests have been held, with demonstrators demanding the implementation of Article 27 of the law supporting disabled individuals. This law was passed in 2017 but, according to this report, has not yet been implemented. According to Article 27 of the 2017 law on supporting the disabled, the Islamic Republic government is obligated to provide 'living allowances' for individuals with 'very severe' or 'severe' disabilities who are unemployed and without income, determining the amount at the annual minimum wage and applying the necessary budget allocations in the annual budget laws. Additionally, see: Government agents attacked a protest by disabled individuals in Tehran. Previously, sociologist Mehrdad Darvishpour told Voice of America that disabled individuals in Iran are under additional pressure due to the policies of the Islamic Republic.