Deputy Head of Iran's Judiciary for International Affairs says the indictment against the perpetrators of the assassination of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani and his companions would be issued by the end of the year.
Attending a press conference on Wednesday, Kazem Gharibabadi said: "After the final conclusion is reached in the third round of talks, an indictment will be issued for the defendants in this case."
The official stated the Judiciaries of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Iraq held a meeting in Baghdad with agreements reached between the two countries to pursue the criminal case in both countries.
"The purpose of these agreements between Iran and Iraq is to ensure that the criminal proceedings are instituted in the Iranian courts and that the Iraqi government, as the country where the crime took place, investigates this case as soon as possible," Gharibabadi added.
He reiterated: "At the same time, we are pursuing these defendants in foreign courts, as well as in international law and human rights organizations."
Gharibabadi further went on to say: "More than 120 defendants engaged in the assassination of Lt. Gen. Soleimani have been identified and a legal prosecution has been issued for them."
The second round of negotiations to pursue the case of the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani and identify the perpetrators was held on Tuesday, December 21, 2001, and the third round will be held in Baghdad until the next month.
In the first round of the talks, four objectives to achieve were agreed upon: To take all possible legal and judicial measures, to prosecute and punish all those involved in the crime, particularly the US agents and nationals involved, to continue and enhance bilateral cooperation for completing the ongoing judicial investigation, to utilize all available capacities and to provide and complete the required information on the case.
Lt. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, former commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, former Deputy Commander of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), and their companions were martyred outside Baghdad International Airport last January on the direct order of the former US President Donald Trump.
General Soleimani was assassinated by the US while he was in Baghdad on the formal invitation of the Iraqi government.
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