An Iranian mother of two, Leila Abolhasani, 43, has been sentenced to death by hanging for photographing a retail store fire during anti-regime protests in January. The charge against her is “Moharebeh,” which translates to “enmity against God.”
Abolhasani was arrested on January 8 in Shahin Shahr, an Iranian satellite city, after she documented a fire at an Ofogh Koorosh grocery store. According to IranWire, the country's Judiciary, operating under Sharia Islamic law and controlled by the Supreme Leader, accused Abolhasani of being involved in arson, a charge that carries a death sentence. Her family, however, contests this, asserting she merely filmed the fire and was not involved in starting it.
Details concerning the evidence presented in court, the trial proceedings, and Abolhasani's legal defense have not been publicly disclosed. Since her arrest, she has been held at the Dowlatabad Prison in Isfahan. In late May, Vahid Hemmatnejad, the presiding judge of Branch 5 of the Isfahan Revolutionary Court, issued the death sentence. Abolhasani has appealed the verdict, and her case is currently under review by the Supreme Court.
An Iranian refugee speaking to NewsNation suggested that Abolhasani's impending execution serves as a warning from the regime to its citizens. "She was arrested for documenting what was happening and was sentenced to death," the refugee stated. "Her work could have been very effective in showing the world how brutal and savage the regime is, and they do not want the world to see the truth."
During the January protests, an estimated 50,000 people were arrested, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reportedly killed approximately 250 children during the demonstrations. United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk recently stated that Iran had executed at least 56 individuals on national security-related charges since March 19, with 27 of those cases linked to the January protests. Türk noted an increase in executions and death sentences since March, with over 100 more individuals facing similar charges that could result in capital punishment. He further remarked that "the death penalty is incompatible with the right to life and irreconcilable with human dignity."