A death sentence over a social media post

Rights groups say Najmeh Amini, a 23-year-old accounting student, has been sentenced to death in Iran for blasphemy over a post she shared on social media. She is held in Vakilabad prison in Mashhad, in the north-east of the country. A source close to her family told the US-based Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRAI) that the capital charge is "sab ol-nabi", which translates as insulting the prophet. In a second case, heard separately, she received a sentence of 12 years, six months and one day on charges that include acting against national security and spreading propaganda against the authorities.

Detention during the January protests

Security forces detained Amini during nationwide protests in January 2026, which were put down with lethal force. Reports say thousands were killed in the crackdown. Hrana, a news agency linked to HRAI, says more than 50,000 people were arrested during the unrest. The timeline below sets out the key dates in her case as they appear in the reporting.

Her appeal from prison

In September, an audio recording released from the prison carried Amini's plea for international action. She asked the United Nations, lawyers and rights groups to investigate her case. In the recording she said:

I do not want to make a hero out of myself today. I only want one thing: be my voice.

She also spoke of her parents, who she said stay awake each night afraid of losing her. Her appeal framed her case as one of an ordinary young woman with plans and hopes rather than a political figure.

The defence and the route to appeal

The Iranian newspaper Khorasan, which confirmed that the hearing took place, reported that Amini argued in court that she had published the post while under the influence of hallucinogenic mushrooms she had taken with friends. Her defence argued that her statements were made in a disturbed state rather than with intent to insult, but the judge rejected that claim. The death sentence is not final, because it can be appealed to Iran's Supreme Court. Until that process runs its course, the sentence remains open to challenge.

Wider rise in executions

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO), based in Oslo, says more than 600 executions have already been carried out in Iran this year. Its director, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, described Amini's case as a serious warning. Rights groups argue that the authorities are using the death penalty more often to intimidate the public and silence critics. He warned that the case risks normalising capital punishment for peaceful expression, and he argued that Tehran is testing how far the international community will tolerate it.

If the international community does not respond firmly now, cases like this could become far more common.