Man Sentenced to Death Over of Killing Iranian Filmmaker Mehrjui

An Iranian court has sentenced a man to capital punishment and three others to long-term imprisonment over the killing of renowned filmmaker Dariush Mehrjui and his wife.

Mehrjui, an 83-year-old director associated with the Iranian new wave of cinema, was stabbed to death along with his wife Vahideh Mohammadifar in October 2023 at their home near Tehran.

The judiciary's Mizan Online website said on February 12 that the main suspect in the case was found guilty of "premeditated murder” and sentenced to death in accordance with the Islamic law of retribution, known as the "qisas" law.

Mizan quoted the chief justice of Alborz province as saying that the application of the retribution law came at the request of Mehrjui's family.

The convicted killer, who was arrested days after the attack, was a former employee of Mehrjui who "had a grudge against the deceased due to financial issues," the judiciary has said.

The three other defendants charged over their roles in planning and assisting the murder received sentences ranging from eight to 36 years in prison, Mizan reported, adding that the verdicts can be appealed before the Supreme Court.