Iran's Supreme Court Upholds Death Sentence for Insulting the Prophet of Islam

According to reports from several human rights websites, the Supreme Court of the Islamic Republic has upheld the death sentence of Sina Dehghan, a 21-year-old prisoner in Arak, on charges of 'sabb al-nabi', or insulting the Prophet of Islam. The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran reported, citing 'an informed source', that the Supreme Court confirmed Dehghan's death sentence, which was issued by the first branch of the Arak Criminal Court in early February 2017. The report states that Dehghan 'did not have access to a chosen lawyer at any stage of the interrogation, investigation, or trial', and the court-appointed lawyer 'did not defend him well and failed to inform about his client's situation'. Previously, some websites reported that Dehghan's family lacked the financial means to pay for a lawyer, which is why he resorted to a court-appointed attorney. Reports indicate that Dehghan was sentenced to death for 'sabb al-nabi' through launching a campaign on the Line app and writing posts on this social network. Dehghan, who was only 19 at the time of his arrest, was detained by the Revolutionary Guards' intelligence protection in his military barracks in Arak just four days before the end of his military service in October 2015 and was transferred to the central prison of the city. Dehghan's family lives in Tehran and must travel to Arak every week to visit him. According to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, this political prisoner is held among inmates for 'drugs, murder, and smuggling', and 'his cellmates had previously broken his nose'. As reported, during his arrest and the search of his home, he repeatedly stated that 'he made a mistake and repents', and the agents promised him that he would be released if he accepted the charges and wrote a letter of repentance, which he 'signed everything they asked for'. However, after his trial in the first branch of the Arak Criminal Court, he was sentenced to death for 'sabb al-nabi' and to 16 months in prison for 'insulting the leader of the Islamic Republic'. Mohammad Noori, another defendant in this case residing in Arak, has also been sentenced to death for 'sabb al-nabi', but no report has been published yet regarding the final status of this sentence. Sahar Elyasi, the third defendant in this case, was sentenced to three years in prison for 'insulting the sacred' and to 16 months in prison for 'insulting the leader of the Islamic Republic'. The issuance of a death sentence for 'sabb al-nabi' has precedent in Iran. Soheil Arabi, a Tehran citizen, was sentenced to death in September 2014 by the 76th branch of the Tehran Criminal Court for 'sabb al-nabi and insulting the sacred', and this sentence was confirmed by the Supreme Court in December of that year. However, ultimately, the 34th branch of the Supreme Court in Iran overturned Soheil Arabi's death sentence in July 2015 and accepted his request for retrial.