TEHRAN: Several Iranian men arrested on suspicion of committing horrific acid attacks on women have been released due to insufficient evidence, the interior minister revealed yesterday.
The attacks in Isfahan, Iran’s top tourist destination, have shocked the public and provoked a major protest there on Wednesday from citizens who demanded better security and action over such violent crimes.
Justice officials previously said that four men had been arrested in connection with the attacks. But Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, quoted on state television’s website, said those in custody had been freed.
He also denounced what he called “a foreign media campaign” to link the attacks to hijab, saying that acid attack victims are usually targeted for reasons of “personal motive or revenge”.
Prosecutor general Ebrahim Raissi, meanwhile, vowed that the attackers would be caught and dealt with, even if the victims were to grant clemency. “These crimes are unforgivable. While victims can grant forgiveness, there is no way we will give up rights of the state against those who caused fear in the population,” Raissi said. “They will be severely punished. We will not allow people, under any pretext, to disrupt security,” he added.
The attacks in Isfahan come after a new bill in parliament proposed greater powers for morality police and volunteer militias to ensure compliance with hijab. AFP
