Death sentence for blasphemy in Iran: student Najmeh Amini reported sentenced over social media post
Najmeh Amini, a 23-year-old accounting student, has reportedly been handed a death sentence for blasphemy in Iran over a social media post - one of the rare such cases in recent years. She is held in Vakilabad prison in Mashhad while her case awaits appeal.
Death sentence for blasphemy in Iran: student Najmeh Amini reported sentenced over social media post
What the charges are
Najmeh Amini, a 23-year-old accounting student, has reportedly received a death sentence for blasphemy in Iran over a social media post. A source close to her family told the US-based group Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRAI) that the charge was 'sab ol-nabi' - insulting the prophet.
Her case is not the only one against her. She has been sentenced in separate cases before a revolutionary court and a criminal court, receiving the death sentence plus more than 12 years in prison in total. The second case carries a term of 12 years, six months and one day for acting against national security and spreading propaganda against the regime.
The legal basis for a death sentence in blasphemy cases is set out in Iran's penal code:
- Under article 262 of the Islamic penal code, insulting the prophet Muhammad or revered Shia figures is punishable by death.
- Article 263 exempts statements made while intoxicated or without deliberate intent, though offenders may still face up to 74 lashes in certain circumstances.
Her defence and the court's response
The Iranian newspaper Khorasan, which confirmed the judicial proceedings, reported that Amini told the court she posted the remarks while hallucinating after taking psychedelic mushrooms with friends. Her defence argued the post was a 'slip of the tongue', but the presiding judge rejected it, reportedly asking why, in that state, she had not insulted opponents of the regime such as America and Israel.
Arrest and appeal from prison
Amini, who is held in Vakilabad prison in the north-east city of Mashhad, was arrested by security forces during January's nationwide protests, which were put down in a deadly crackdown. The HRAI news agency Hrana said more than 50,000 people were arrested during the protests.
In an audio recording released from prison last month, she appealed for international intervention, calling on the UN, lawyers and rights groups to investigate her case. She also described herself as an innocent young girl with hopes and dreams, and spoke of parents waiting for her.
I do not want to make a hero out of myself today. I only want one thing: be my voice.
Rights groups warn of a broader pattern
Executions in Iran have surged to their highest level in three decades. According to Oslo-based Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO), more than 600 executions have been carried out in Iran this year. Yet death sentences for blasphemy remain rare: the most recent documented case before Amini's dates to 8 May 2023, when Yousef Mehrad and Sadrollah Fazeli-Zare were executed after convictions for blasphemy-related offences linked to social-media activity.
Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, IHRNGO director, said Amini's case should be seen as a serious warning.
Sentencing a young woman to death for what she posted on social media risks normalising the use of the death penalty against peaceful expression.
Amiry-Moghaddam said the authorities were testing the international community's tolerance and warned that cases like this could become far more common if there is no firm response.
Her sentencing comes as Iranian lawmakers seek to criminalise contact with all foreign media, including social-media posts deemed financed by another country. For now, her supreme court appeal remains the next step: the death sentence is not final.
