Shafaq News – Baghdad
Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council on Wednesday released an extensive statement addressing public controversy over the death of Dr. Ban Ziyad, a young physician found dead on August 4 at her family home in Basra, confirming that her death was by suicide.
The Council said the investigation—carried out jointly by Basra’s Investigation Court, the Ministry of Interior’s forensic and criminal evidence units, and the Ministry of Health’s medical examiner’s office—concluded that the cause of death was "suicide, not homicide."
The statement stressed that the involved institutions are “professional bodies that worked accurately and without any influence,” and urged the public not to spread claims contrary to what it described as “scientific and technical evidence that cannot be refuted by imagination or opinion.”
Findings presented by the judiciary
The Supreme Judicial Council outlined six areas of evidence behind its conclusion:
-Handwriting evidence: A phrase written in blood at the scene (“I want God”) was matched by forensic handwriting experts to Dr. Ziyad’s own medical notes and personal writings. Examiners used specialized equipment (VSC 8000 HS) to confirm the match.
-Psychological testimony and recordings: A psychiatrist colleague, Dr. Zainab Ali Hassan, provided a recorded conversation in which Ziyad described suffering from severe, chronic depression and resistance to medication. She had requested a specific drug (pubroion) unavailable in Basra and said she wished to abandon psychiatry to switch to anesthesiology. Dr. Hassan testified that untreated chronic depression can lead to suicide.
-Colleague’s testimony: Another doctor, identified as Omar Dhahi Mustafa, denied accusations of encouraging her to take her own life. Phone records showed messages in which Ziyad herself expressed suicidal intentions.
-Digital and surveillance evidence: Security cameras at the family home showed no intrusion or interruption in recordings. Forensic cybercrime investigators also confirmed that Ziyad had followed an online channel titled “Suicide Messages” and sent farewell messages to Mustafa, saying, “God forgive you, guide you, but you won’t see me again if something happens.”
-Family and witness statements: Her parents, siblings, and relatives told investigators they believed the incident was a suicide brought on by severe psychological pressure. They did not file complaints against anyone. A doctor friend, Fawaz Abbas, recounted a half-hour phone call on the night of August 3 in which Ziyad told him: “No one loves me, I am tired, I want to rest from life, my body asks me to cut both my arms.”
-Forensic and autopsy results: Blood samples and hair strands found at the scene matched only the victim. The autopsy concluded death was caused by severe blood loss from deep cuts to both arms, leading to vascular shock. Other bruises and marks were explained as occurring during collapse, transport of the body, or after death, with no evidence of strangulation or restraint.
Background and Public Response
Dr. Ban Ziyad’s death has gripped Iraq, sparking widespread debate. A respected young physician, she was reported by colleagues to have been ambitious in her career. Her sudden death, combined with early leaks from forensic reports mentioning unusual injuries, fueled suspicions of foul play.
Medical colleagues and activists have publicly rejected the suicide conclusion, demanding an independent inquiry. They argue that Ziyad showed no outward signs of psychological breakdown.
The Health Ministry and the Iraqi Medical Syndicate have so far limited their response to offering condolences and holding a memorial service in her honor.
The judiciary, in its latest statement, appealed for restraint, saying that circulating alternative accounts “harms the work of state institutions and the dignity of the deceased’s family without justification.”