Iranian authorities announce arrest of “murderer” of filmmaker Banehai and his brother
Local and law enforcement officials announced that the “murderer” of Rahim Zabihi, filmmaker Baneh, and his brother Keyvan Zabihi, has been arrested and has confessed to the crime. The Zabihi brothers’ car veered off the road suspiciously last Friday and caught fire.
Mohammad Fallahi, the governor of Baneh County, said on Sunday, December 9, that the “murderer” of Rahim Zabihi, a filmmaker from Kurdistan, and his brother Keyvan Zabihi have been arrested and have confessed to the murder.
Iranian domestic media reported yesterday the suspicious deaths of Rahim Zabihi and his brother. According to these media outlets, the Zabihi brothers' car veered off the road in the village of Neizeh Rud, located 5 kilometers from the Baneh-Armardeh route, on Friday evening for an unknown reason and fell into a ravine, catching fire. According to the same report, local witnesses had reported the possibility that the two men were murdered before the accident and staged the scene of their car falling into the ravine.
Mohammad Fallahi said today: "With the efforts and pursuit of law enforcement forces and with the cooperation of the judicial system of this city, the murderer of Rahim and Keyvan Zabihi was arrested in less than 24 hours and confessed to the murder."
According to the Governor of Baneh, the "murderer" stated in his "confessions" that the reason for committing the murder was "financial differences."
At the same time, Abdullah Fathi, the deputy social affairs officer of the Kurdistan Provincial Police Command, also announced: "Thanks to the efforts of the police and the investigative work carried out on Saturday evening, the murderer of filmmaker Rahim Zabihi Banei and his brother were arrested."
Abdullah Fathi also stated that "the identity of this person has been determined and is now in the hands of the judicial authorities," adding: "The identity of the person will be announced in the coming days and after the completion of the investigative work."
Rasoul Karami Chegini, the commander of Baneh's security forces, confirmed yesterday that two people were killed inside the car and said: "Police and traffic police experts immediately arrived at the scene after the incident was reported."
According to Fars News Agency, initial investigations revealed that the burning car belonged to Rahim Zabihi, a filmmaker and director of Baneh, and that the title and ownership were in the name of his wife.
Yesterday, while mentioning the deaths of both occupants of the car and the burning of their bodies, it was announced that the cause of the accident has not yet been determined and the forensic medicine has not made a definitive statement about their identities.
However, Fars News Agency reported that: "It is said that both passengers were in the rear of the passenger cabin, in other words, in the back seat of the car, and both of their hands were tied behind their backs, which increases the possibility of their murder."
Rahim Zabihi and Keyvan Zabihi belonged to a prominent family in Baneh. Rahim Zabihi, 47, with about 20 years of experience in the performing arts, made his first short film, “Havar,” in 2002. His films often address issues such as violence against women and children, as well as victims of war. The short films “Satellite,” “Escape,” “End of War,” “Stress,” and “The Man Who Went for a Walk” and the feature films “Land of Fairy Tales,” “Santa Claus Cried,” and “The Day After” are among his works that have repeatedly met with domestic and international acclaim.
Source: DW
