Supreme Court Confirms Double Death Sentence for Suspect in the Murder of Dariush Mehrjui and His Wife

The Supreme Court of the Islamic Republic has confirmed a double death sentence for the primary suspect in the murder case of renowned filmmaker Dariush Mehrjui and his wife, Vahideh Mohammadi. The website Etemad Online reported on Wednesday, March 13, that based on the 'request for retribution from the children of Dariush Mehrjui and the parents of his wife as the heirs of blood,' the first branch of the Criminal Court of Alborz Province had issued a death sentence for the defendants, which was later confirmed by the 9th branch of the Supreme Court after an initial ruling. According to this report, Mousa Khani, the lawyer for Karim, the first suspect, announced that the Supreme Court's ruling has been communicated to his client, stating that 'the first suspect has been sentenced to double retribution for two murders, while other defendants have been sentenced to prison and lashes. While the Mehrjui family's lawyer previously emphasized that there must be an instigator involved in this murder, the judiciary claims that the death sentence for the defendants was issued based on the 'request for retribution' from the heirs of blood. The judiciary has rejected the opinion of the victims' family lawyer, asserting that 'after extensive investigations, it has been concluded that there was no instigator involved and that the defendants committed this murder due to disputes they had with Dariush Mehrjui's wife.' According to these reports, in addition to the double death sentence, the defendants have also been sentenced to 'prison and lashes.' The issuance of the double death sentence comes despite the defendants having denied their confessions during interrogations in court. Meanwhile, human rights organizations have repeatedly stated that fair trial procedures are not observed in most courts of the Islamic Republic's judiciary, and that confessions are obtained under pressure and torture. Furthermore, UN experts have warned about the 'sharp increase in executions' in Iran, stating that these punishments are 'illegal.' The murder of Dariush Mehrjui and Vahideh Mohammadi was reported to the police by Mehrjui's daughter in the late hours of Saturday night, October 14, 2023. On October 20, 2023, Iranian media reported that a former gardener had been charged with the murder of Mehrjui and his wife. On February 12, 2024, the judiciary's news agency announced the issuance of a preliminary ruling for the defendants in the murder case of Dariush Mehrjui and Vahideh Mohammadi, stating that the first suspect in this case was sentenced to 'retribution of life' and the second and third suspects were sentenced to 36 years in prison. The Tehran-based newspaper Etemad had previously reported on the anniversary of the murder of Dariush Mehrjui and Vahideh Mohammadi, quoting the heirs' lawyer as saying that another person was involved and that the four arrested suspects were merely executors of the murder plan. This report referred to 'deficiencies in the case,' indicating that 'no evidence of the suspects' presence at the crime scene has been discovered, and only the trace of one of the suspects, who is under 18, was found at the crime scene, which is also surrounded by ambiguities.' Additionally, lawyer Hossein Ahmadi-Niaz had previously stated regarding the murder case of Mehrjui and his wife to VOA that this case is 'under the influence of specific individuals or institutions.'