Another manifestation of violence in Iran: fatal shooting by a police officer
A person in “Mehr Shahr” in Karaj, lying on the ground, handcuffed, has died as a result of being shot by a police officer. The video of this officer’s shooting has been widely circulated on social media networks.
Violence by law enforcement officials in the Islamic Republic is not a rare phenomenon. This time, a person reportedly named Morteza Jaafari has died as a result of being shot by a police officer.
The circulation of video footage of this police officer’s shooting on social media has prompted the commander of law enforcement in Alborz Province to respond. Iran’s student news agency “ISNA” reported in a report published on Wednesday, September 17th (September 8th) on the order of the Alborz law enforcement commander to investigate this officer’s shooting.
In a report released by the commander of law enforcement in Alborz Province, the identity of the police station officer has not been revealed. It was only stated that this law enforcement officer was operating in the security division of Police Station 22 in Mehr Shahr, Karaj.
What happened?
The matter goes back four days. At 8:20 PM on September 13th, a police station officer shoots a handcuffed person lying on the ground from a close distance, and this action results in the death of this person.
Media outlets in the Islamic Republic referred to this person as an “accused” and claimed that he had disturbed public order. They accused him of “creating a disturbance” and “showing off with a cold weapon.”
The commander of law enforcement in Alborz Province said, “In this swift action, the officer knocked the accused to the ground, and while handcuffing him, due to the approach of other individuals attempting to disarm the police officer, a bullet accidentally discharged from the weapon and hit the accused.”
In videos of this incident circulated on social media networks, no evidence of individuals approaching the police officer is observed.
In the Mehr Shahr, Karaj incident, the matter concerns the police station officer’s shooting of this person, and even if the claims of the Alborz law enforcement commander about “creating a disturbance” and “showing off” are true, killing this person by the aforementioned officer has no legal justification.
The issuance of an order to investigate this shooting, which occurred in response to the widespread circulation of this news and its video on social media networks, actually demonstrates that the explanation of the law enforcement commander regarding the “accidental discharge of a bullet from this police officer’s weapon” was not convincing.
One social media user, by posting this news and the video of the shooting of this person, posted a tweet asking: “How long must we witness the killing of our fellow citizens… a young person was buried in the ground, another family is mourning until the next one!”
Source: DW
