Summoning of Managers from Two Newspapers Following the Murder of Two Filmmakers; Government's Claim: 'Efforts for Insecurity' Will Be Addressed

Following the murder of Dariush Mehrjui and his wife, Vahideh Mohammadi Far, the Tehran prosecutor summoned the managers of the newspapers Etemad and Faraz for what was termed 'guidance and admonition'. The Minister of Interior of the Islamic Republic also stated that 'anyone who attempts to create insecurity in society will be dealt with'. According to ISNA news agency, Ali Salehi, the Tehran prosecutor, claimed on Tuesday, October 16, during a meeting of the Supreme Council of the Judiciary, that 'some actions' have been taken to 'maintain and enhance the psychological security of society and to deal with disruptors in this area'. Referring to the murder of Dariush Mehrjui and Vahideh Mohammadi Far, he stated that 'the managers of Etemad and Faraz media, as well as some human-media outlets that published content related to this issue, were summoned and necessary warnings, justifications, and guidance were provided to them.' The Tehran prosecutor did not provide further details and did not clarify why the managers of these two media outlets were summoned or who he meant by 'human-media'. The summoning and threatening of media officials comes as the newspaper 'Jomhouri Islami' emphasized the 'responsibility of the government' in 'protecting the lives of citizens', recalling the murder of Dariush Mehrjui and his wife as reminiscent of the 'serial murders of the 1990s', particularly the 'martyrdom of Dariush Forouhar and his wife', adding that 'that series of murders had heavy repercussions.' Almost simultaneously with the announcement of the murder of the renowned Iranian filmmaker Dariush Mehrjui and his wife, Vahideh Mohammadi Far, the Etemad newspaper published an interview with Mehrjui's wife, stating that an individual had threatened them with a knife at their door. The online newspaper Faraz also reflected a post from Vahideh Mohammadi Far's Instagram from last winter that referred to another threat. Additionally, Ahmad Vahidi, the Minister of Interior, three days after the murder of one of the most prominent figures in Iranian cinema and his wife, who was also a filmmaker, stated in his first reaction that 'anyone who causes concern for the people or anyone who attempts to create insecurity in society will be dealt with.' According to the Shargh newspaper, after the murder, two mobile phones were stolen from Mehrjui's house and 'the gold bracelet' belonging to Mohammadi Far was not in her possession, but according to an informed source, 'the hypothesis is that the theft is staged' and it seems that the main motive was 'murder, not theft.' Parviz Dashtmalchi, a writer and researcher, emphasized in an interview with the Persian section of Voice of America that the murder of Dariush Mehrjui and Vahideh Mohammadi Far 'bears many similarities to the murders of individuals such as Shapour Bakhtiar.' The murder of 84-year-old Dariush Mehrjui and his 54-year-old wife Vahideh Mohammadi Far occurred in their private villa in Zibadasht, Fardis County, in the late hours of Saturday, October 14. The commander of the police force in Alborz province stated that 'this murder was committed by an unknown individual or individuals, with cold weapon strikes to the neck and body parts, but the motive for the murder is still unclear.'