The Supreme Judicial Council of Iraq has issued a clarification regarding the death of Ban Ziyad, a psychiatrist in Basra.

The Council stated that Ziyad had taken her own life, but emphasized that the case had been deliberately misrepresented in order to damage the reputation of state institutions and to distress the family of the deceased.

According to the Council’s statement, following a joint investigation conducted by the Basra Court of Inquiry, the Ministry of Interior’s investigative department, and forensic department, evidence was found at the scene. The phrase “I want God, I want death” was written in blood on the door of Ban Ziyad’s bathroom—matching handwriting samples from her personal notes.

The Council further explained that, after reviewing a voice communication between Zainab Ali Hussein, a physician and close friend of the deceased, it became clear that Ban Ziyad had confided in her about suffering from severe stage-five depression. Despite using medication, her body showed no positive response to treatment.

The statement also referred to the case of Omar Zahi Mustafa, who had initially been suspected of inciting the deceased to suicide. However, after analyzing his mobile phone, investigators discovered that his conversations with Ban Ziyad were about her already-expressed suicidal thoughts, not incitement.

Additionally, after retrieving and reviewing the family home’s surveillance footage in Basra, investigators confirmed that no one had visited her before the incident, and there was no evidence of external interference.

The Council reported that, during the inquiry, the victim’s parents and her legal representatives confirmed that their daughter had taken her own life due to the intense psychological pressure she was under, and that no suspicion of criminal homicide remained against any other individual.

Forensic examination of Ban Ziyad’s blood determined that the cause of death was due to deep cuts to the veins in both wrists, leading to massive blood loss. The bruises on her body were consistent with her collapsing inside the bathroom, and there was no evidence of strangulation.

Ban Ziyad’s death was first reported on August 4, 2025, while the Basra Court of Inquiry conducted its investigation on August 12. The official report noted the presence of bruising and deep cuts on her hands, which led some Iraqi media outlets and physicians to speculate that she had been killed rather than having taken her own life.