Following the publication of its initial report on the family killings in Dehloran, the HANA Human Rights Organization has obtained new information regarding the identity of the woman killed, the background of the perpetrator, and the victim’s political views. These developments underscore the need for a more thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crime.
According to the additional information received by HANA, the woman killed was identified as Fereshteh Yousef-Zadeh. She and three children were shot dead in the Ba’athat residential complex in Dehloran by her husband, Mohammad Mohammadi, using a firearm reportedly issued to military or security personnel. Mohammad Mohammadi, 57, died after shooting himself following the killings. Two of the child victims were his nine-year-old twin sons, while the third was his 13-year-old child from his first marriage.
Information received by HANA also indicates that Mohammad Mohammadi had links to the security institutions of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Meanwhile, according to information obtained by the organization, Fereshteh Yousef-Zadeh was an opponent of the Iranian government and had commemorated those killed during the protests of 8 and 9 January by publishing posts on social media marking the fortieth day since their deaths.
Although sufficient evidence has not yet emerged to establish a political motive for the killings, information concerning the perpetrator’s alleged links to security institutions and the victim’s political views underscores the need for an independent investigation into the motive for the crime, the origin of the firearm used, and any history of threats or violence against Fereshteh Yousef-Zadeh.
HANA stresses that the perpetrator’s death does not absolve judicial and law enforcement authorities of their responsibility to establish the full circumstances of this crime. Reducing the killing of a woman and three children to a family dispute, without examining the evidence and the circumstances leading up to the killings, cannot substitute for an effective and independent investigation. This is particularly important given repeated reports of lethal violence against women and children, which have made the failure of mechanisms for preventing domestic violence and protecting its victims a matter of serious concern.