Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); May 24, 2024: Arvin Ghahremani, a young Jewish man on death row for murder, is at imminent risk of execution in Kermanshah Central Prison after his appeal was rejected by the Supreme Court. His relatives say key errors in the case were intentionally ignored and Arvin’s actions to save the victim were not mentioned in the indictment.
Iran Human Rights calls for an immediate stay of execution in the case of Arvin Ghahremani and other death row prisoners, and demands his case be investigated in a transparent and clear manner.
Arvin Ghahremani is a 20-year-old Jewish man who was sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder during a street group fight when he was 18 years old. According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, Arvin’s appeal was rejected without serious consideration and many important events leading to the stabbing were ignored. His relatives told IHRNGO that Arvin’s court-appointed lawyer did not effectively defend his client for unknown reasons and his right to self-defence was not properly presented in the case.
According to his relatives, when the victim attacked Arvin with a cold weapon, he took the weapon and defended himself. Arvin did everything to save his life after injuring him but he died after medical assistance was delayed in reaching him.
In an audio message obtained by IHRNGO, Arvin Ghahremani’s mother, Sonia Saadati appealed for help save her son’s life.
On 15 May 2024, IHRNGO reported at least 103 people were executed in Iranian prisons in the previous 28 days. IHRNGO Director, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam previously said: "The silence of the international community regarding the execution of more than 103 people in the last four weeks is unacceptable and must end."