The Murder of Dariush Mehrjui and Vahideh Mohammadi Far; The Claim of 'Security' by the Islamic Republic is Questioned

With the release of more details about the murder of Dariush Mehrjui, the renowned Iranian director, and his wife in a villa in Karaj, the commander of the police force in Alborz province stated that this murder was committed by an unknown individual or individuals using cold weapons on the neck and body parts, but the motive for the murder is still unclear. Hamid Hadavand told ISNA that the murder of Mr. Mehrjui and his wife was reported to the police by the daughter of the late Mehrjui on the late hours of Saturday night, October 14, and officers are currently investigating the details of this murder. At the same time, a text from the Instagram page of Mr. Mehrjui's wife shows that she had reported threats against herself and her family to the police on January 29, 2023. Vahideh Mohammadi Far, Mr. Mehrjui's wife, wrote on that date: 'On the night of the incident, around 8 PM, while the house was completely calm, I suddenly noticed the noise of our dog in the yard. I quickly locked the kitchen entrance. Until I realized that someone was sticking a knife to the frosted glass of the window in front of the building's entrance. No matter how much I asked him to introduce himself, he said nothing. My phone was not near me, but I tried to act quickly. I loudly said; I am calling 110 right now. In response to this, he said, 'Well, go ahead and call.' I was scared, and as soon as I said hello to 110, the thief fled. When he replied to me, 'Well, go ahead and call,' I realized he didn't have an Iranian accent. After the thief fled, I contacted the neighborhood guard. They quickly arrived at our yard and began searching the yard and surrounding streets, but did not see anyone. Of course, some time ago, a number of items, including a santur related to the film Santouri, were stolen from our house, and my wife's lawyer is currently pursuing the legal matters regarding this issue.' The murder of Dariush Mehrjui and his wife has once again called into question the Islamic Republic's claim of 'security in the country.' Eghtesadnews wrote in this regard: According to the latest reports from the Statistical Center of Iran, in 2021, the number of arrested thieves reached '445,000,' which accounted for about 49% of the total number of thefts. According to the same center's statistics, from 2012 to 2021, the number of recorded thefts had a '1.7% growth,' but the police's response in arresting thieves did not increase proportionately. Meanwhile, in 2012, about 307,000 thieves were arrested by the police, which was 'equivalent to 56% of the total theft statistics.' The media further states: If we assume that two thieves participate in each theft, we can say that the police's success rate in arresting thieves has reached 'one thief for every four thefts.' According to some sociologists and social pathologists, 'the intensification of economic crises along with increasing social and political dissatisfaction' is one of the main factors behind the rise in social harms, including theft. Vahideh Mohammadi Far was a screenwriter, costume designer, and assistant director, born on February 8, 1969. Mr. Mehrjui's last film was titled 'Laminoor,' which, after being produced in 2019, was not allowed to be screened and, despite receiving a screening permit from the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, was banned before its release. In March 2022, in protest against the ban on this film, Dariush Mehrjui stated in a recorded message that he would stage a sit-in with his assistants at the Ministry of Culture and could no longer tolerate the banning of his films and this time he wanted to fight. This renowned Iranian filmmaker was 84 years old at the time of his death.