A Real Murder During a Game of Mafia: Young Man Sentenced to Death for the Second Time

Two years ago, a young man named Iliya, who had been injured, was taken to the hospital in Shahr-e-Rey. The young man succumbed to his injuries due to severe blood loss.When authorities began investigating the reasons behind the incident, it was revealed that the conflict was between Iliya and a young man named Parham, who had met during a game of Mafia. Ultimately, Iliya lost his life after being stabbed by Parham.The police arrested Parham, and during interrogations, the young man stated: "I acted in self-defense and never intended to kill Iliya."

Explaining what happened, he said: "We were playing Mafia, and a girl named Afsaneh was part of the game. She sat next to me during the game. Later that night, she messaged me on Instagram and asked me to follow her, which I did. The next day, Iliya got upset with me, asking why I followed Afsaneh and what kind of relationship I had with her. That’s when I realized that Iliya and Afsaneh were romantically involved. I explained to him that I didn’t message Afsaneh first, and she had reached out to me. I assured him there was nothing special between us.

Our first altercation ended there, but when we gathered again to play, Iliya attacked me. He had a knife, which escalated the confrontation. I threw a knife at him to defend myself, but I had no intention of killing him. Iliya injured me with his knife, and I threw my knife to make him back off, but it hit his neck."

With the investigation completed and an indictment issued, the case was sent to the Tehran Provincial Criminal Court for trial. During the hearing, the prosecutor’s representative read the charges against the defendant and demanded punishment. Iliya's parents then took the stand and requested qisas (retributive justice).

When it was the defendant's turn, he repeated his previous statements and claimed that he had acted in self-defense.

Then the defendant's lawyer took the stand and said: "It seems that one of the reasons for the victim's death was medical negligence, as timely and adequate care was not provided. Additionally, my client acted in self-defense. The victim injured his hand with a knife."

However, the court issued a death sentence (qisas), but the verdict was not upheld by the Supreme Court, and the case was returned to the Criminal Court for a retrial.

In the second hearing of this case, the victim's family once again requested qisas (retribution) and stated that they were not willing to forgive. When it was the defendant's turn, he reiterated that he had committed the act in self-defense.

At this point, the lawyer representing the victim's family stated: "The Forensic Medicine Commission has identified the severing of the artery as the definitive cause of death, and the alleged medical negligence claimed by the defendant's lawyer does not exist. Therefore, I request that the court consider my clients' demand for retribution."

Then, the defendant's lawyer took the floor and said: "After the initial qisas ruling was overturned, I requested that the deficiencies in the case be addressed by the Shahr-e Rey prosecution office, specifically regarding the impact of the aortic artery tear and the open-heart surgery performed on the victim in causing his death. However, no opinion has been issued on this matter. Moreover, according to the Supreme Court judges, the prosecution office was required to hold a face-to-face session with witnesses to the altercation and refer the matter to the police for further investigation, but no conclusive opinion has been obtained in this regard. Forensic experts have confirmed two cuts on the body, while my client has repeatedly stated that he struck the victim only once. Therefore, I request that the deficiencies in the case be resolved by the prosecution office before Parham is retried."

In conclusion, the judges deliberated once again and sentenced the defendant to qisas.