Iranian court rejects appeal of Jewish man sentenced to death

An Iranian court has rejected the appeal of Arvin Ghahremani, a 20-year-old Jewish man sentenced to death for killing a Muslim man in self-defense.

Human rights organizations report that Ghahremani now faces imminent execution.

In 2022, Ghahremani was ambushed by seven men in the town of Kermanshah. One of the attackers, a 40-year-old Muslim who owed him money, stabbed Ghahremani. In the struggle, Ghahremani fought back and used the same knife to fatally stab his attacker.

Although he acted in self-defense, Ghahremani was arrested and convicted of murder. The court's decision to uphold his death sentence drew widespread international criticism.

Last week, Ghahremani's execution was delayed at the last minute, apparently due to international pressure, and pushed back a month. However, this reprieve now appears temporary following the rejection of the appeal.

Under Iranian law, the family of the deceased has the power to commute the death sentence in exchange for monetary reparations.

Despite several offers, including that of sponsoring a mosque in memory of Amir Shokri, the family refused any compensation.

The case has attracted the attention of human rights activists, who say Ghahremani's death sentence is unjust.