Investigating the Extent of Discovering the Identity of an Accused in Pixelated Images broadcast on TV in the Preliminary Investigation of a Crime (Case Study: City of Tehran)

According to Article 40 of criminal proceedings law, disclosing any information related to identity is prohibited otherwise determined by the law.  But sometimes the national media broadcasts faces of the accused by pixelating their faces in the preliminary investigation stage. If this issue causes the identity of an accused to be identified, it is against the principle of confidentiality in the preliminary stage of criminal investigations, based on Articles 91 and 96 criminal proceedings law, it not only violates the  rights of the accused but it also causes crime evidence and traces to be hidden or destroyed. Therefore; this research reviews the extent of discovering the identity of the accused. The present research is a practical one with a quantitative approach whose information has been gathered in an experimental way. The statistical society in this research includes citizens of the 22 districts of Tehran. In order to analyze statistical data, Pierson Correlation Coefficient Statistical method and Regressive Path were put to use. Based on the findings of this research, broadcasting the pixelated images of the accused in the preliminary stage of investigations on TV will cause these individuals to be identified and according to Article 96 of criminal proceedings law it is prohibited due to the possible destruction of crime evidence and to support the rights and save the face of the accused. As a result and according to Article 91 of criminal proceedings law, those broadcasting these pixelated images will be prosecuted on charges of disclosing occupational and professional secrets.