Najmeh Amini, a 23-year-old Iranian accounting student, has been sentenced to death on charges of blasphemy over a social media post, according to a report by The Guardian. Her case has raised concerns among human rights groups over Iran’s crackdown on freedom of expression and the increasing use of capital punishment against dissent.
Which confirmed the judicial proceedings, Amini told the court that she had made the remarks while hallucinating after taking psychedelic mushrooms with friends, according to Iranian newspaper Khorasan. Amini was first arrested by Iranian security forces during nationwide anti-government protests in January, which were met with a deadly crackdown. She was arrested again in February by Iran’s cyber police, known as Fata, following online monitoring. The exact content of the social media post that led to her death sentence has not been publicly disclosed.
Hrana, more than 50,000 people were arrested during the crackdown, while thousands were reported killed, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRAI) news agency. Amini is a 23-year-old accounting student from Iran who was detained during the January anti-government protests before being arrested again in February over her online activity.
A source close to her family told HRAI that she was subsequently sentenced to death on charges of “sab ol-nabi”, which refers to insulting the Prophet Muhammad. Her defence reportedly argued that the incident was a “slip of the tongue”.
“I am an innocent young girl with so many hopes and dreams. “I have parents who are waiting for me. A family that every night, with the fear of losing me, turns their night into morning,” Amini added.
Under Article 262 of Iran’s Islamic Penal Code, insulting the Prophet Muhammad or revered Shia figures is punishable by death. However, article 263 provides certain exemptions for statements made without deliberate intent or while intoxicated, although other punishments, including flogging, may still apply in some circumstances.
