Isfahan acid attack case closed without arrest of suspect
Nearly four years after the acid attack on the faces of four women and girls in Isfahan, the lawyer for the acid attack victims announced that the case has been closed.
According to ISNA news agency, Hassan Abbas Alizadeh said on Wednesday, July 17, that his clients in this case had requested to receive blood money, but since the defendant could not be found, the blood money was paid from the "Bayt al-Mal blood money fund."
According to the lawyer, if the accused or accused in the acid attack case are found, a judicial investigation will be conducted.
The announcement that the acid attack case was closed without the arrest of the accused comes at a time when speculation had been raised about the victimization of these women and girls due to the issue of hijab.
In late October 2014, Iran’s deputy police chief confirmed that four cases of acid attacks on women and girls had occurred. Reports indicated that all of the victims were behind the wheel of a car and were not wearing full hijab.
Some media outlets and social media users also expressed doubts about the defendant's failure to be found after months, writing that with the many cameras on the streets, identifying the defendant should not be difficult.
These acid attacks, and the failure to find the perpetrator, led to demonstrations and gatherings of hundreds of people in Isfahan and Tehran, protesting the feeling of insecurity among women. The demonstrators chanted slogans against enjoining good and forbidding evil, acid attacks, and compulsory hijab.
Following these gatherings, some Iranian security officials sharply criticized the protesters and attacked the media for their coverage of the protests.
A number of participants in the protests, including human rights activists Mahdieh Golroo and Narges Mohammadi, and a number of journalists and photographers present, were arrested.
Following these incidents, the US representative to the UN condemned the acid attack on Isfahan women, and international human rights organizations called for the release of the detained protesters.
Source: Voice of America
