Iranian Woman Sentenced to Death for Photographing Protest Fire

Leila Abolhasani

An Iranian woman has been sentenced to death by hanging after she was accused of involvement in the arson of a grocery store she had photographed during anti-government protests in January. Leila Abolhasani, 43, mother of two, was arrested on January 8 in Shahin Shahr, a satellite city in Iran's central Isfahan province, after taking pictures of a fire at an Ofogh Koorosh supermarket, a major discount grocery chain. She has since been held at Dowlatabad Prison in Isfahan, Iranwire reported. Abolhasani was convicted under the charge of “Moharebeh”, a term commonly translated as “enmity against God” or “waging war against God”. The charge can carry the death penalty under Iran's Islamic legal system. A source told IranWire that authorities accused Abolhasani of being involved in setting the store on fire. However, details of the evidence allegedly linking her to the blaze, the proceedings during her trial and the nature of her legal defence have not been made public. In late May, Vahid Hemmatnejad, the presiding judge of Branch 5 of the Isfahan Revolutionary Court, sentenced Abolhasani to death by hanging. She appealed against the ruling and her case was subsequently transferred to Iran's Supreme Court, where the verdict is reportedly being reviewed. The case has emerged amid continuing international concern over the treatment of people arrested during Iran's January protests. The demonstrations resulted in a large-scale crackdown, with estimates of arrests and deaths varying between sources. An Iranian refugee who spoke to NewsNation (US based news outlet) described Abolhasani's case as a warning to others who document events or oppose the government. “She was arrested for documenting what was happening and was sentenced to death,” the refugee said. They argued that footage of the burning store could have drawn international attention to the government's response to the protests. “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,” the refugee said. The refugee added that authorities wanted Abolhasani's case to become “a lesson to anyone who tries to speak the truth about the regime” and said the case was intended to create fear among people who might otherwise consider documenting or exposing events. “They want people to remain silent and to keep the truth hidden forever,” the refugee said. The potential execution comes as Iran continues to face scrutiny over its use of the death penalty in cases involving national security charges. United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk said earlier this month that Iran had executed at least 56 people on national security-related charges since March 19. Of those cases, 27 were linked to the January protests. Türk also said executions and death sentences had increased since March, with more than 100 other people facing charges that could result in the death penalty. “The death penalty is incompatible with the right to life and irreconcilable with human dignity,” Türk said. “Such punishment has no place in our world.”