International Human Rights Campaign: Two Individuals in Arak Sentenced to Death for 'Blasphemy'

The International Human Rights Campaign in Iran reported the issuance of death sentences for Sina Dehghan and Mohammad Noori on charges of 'blasphemy' through their writings on social media. Sina Dehghan and Mohammad Noori are currently held in Arak Central Prison, and following their protest against the death sentence, their case has been sent to the Supreme Court. On Tuesday, September 23, the campaign cited a source close to Sina Dehghan, stating that this Tehran resident was sentenced to death for 'blasphemy' after launching a campaign on the 'Line' network and writing posts on this social media platform. The report indicated that the Iranian judiciary deemed the content published by Sina Dehghan as 'against the religion of Islam and the Quran.' Sina Dehghan, who was only 19 at the time of his arrest, was detained by the Intelligence Protection of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps at his military base in Arak just four days before the end of his military service in October 2015 and transferred to the central prison of that city. A source close to Sina Dehghan told the International Human Rights Campaign in Iran that he repeatedly stated during his arrest and the search of his home that he had made a mistake and would repent; however, after being tried in Branch 1 of the Arak Criminal Court, he was sentenced to death for 'blasphemy' and 16 months in prison for 'insulting the leader of Iran.' According to the campaign, during interrogation sessions, Sina Dehghan accepted his charges and signed a confession with the promise that he would be released if he acknowledged the accusations and wrote a letter of repentance, but he ultimately received a death sentence. The report also noted that Sina Dehghan had a court-appointed lawyer because his family could not afford to pay for a defense attorney. The International Human Rights Campaign in Iran stated that Sina Dehghan is currently held in a cell with drug offenders and is in a 'poor' mental state. This case also involves two other defendants, Sahar Elyasi and Mohammad Noori, who are in Arak Central Prison. According to the report, Mohammad Noori, another defendant in this case, has also been sentenced to death for 'blasphemy.' Sahar Elyasi, the third defendant in this case, has been sentenced to three years in prison for 'insulting sacred beliefs' and 16 months for 'insulting the leader of Iran.' The issuance of a death sentence related to the charge of 'blasphemy' has precedent in Iran. Soheil Arabi, a Tehran resident, was sentenced to death in September 2014 by Branch 76 of the Tehran Criminal Court for 'blasphemy and insulting sacred beliefs,' a sentence that was confirmed by the Supreme Court in December of that year. However, ultimately, Branch 34 of the Supreme Court in Iran overturned Soheil Arabi's death sentence in July 2015 and accepted his request for retrial. Soheil Arabi had been arrested in November 2013 by agents of the Revolutionary Guard's Quds Force. According to the International Human Rights Campaign in Iran, Soheil Arabi had 'eight Facebook pages under different names,' and due to his writings on those pages, he was accused of 'blasphemy and insulting sacred beliefs.' Previously, Rouhollah Tavana had also been sentenced to death for 'blasphemy' through insulting the Prophet of Islam, which led to protests from Amnesty International and several human rights defenders. According to Article 262 of the Islamic Penal Code, anyone who 'insults' the Prophet of Islam, Shia Imams, or other prophets is considered to have committed 'blasphemy' and is sentenced to death. However, according to Article 263 of this law, if the accused claims that their statements were made under coercion, negligence, error, or while intoxicated or angry and without regard to the meanings of the words or quoting another person, it does not constitute 'blasphemy.'