Najmeh Amini: Najmeh Amini, a 23-year-old student studying accounting in Iran, has been sentenced to death on charges of blasphemy (insulting religion) over a social media post. Najmeh Amini was first arrested by Iranian security forces in January 2026 during nationwide anti-government protests. These demonstrations were brutally suppressed. According to 'Harana', the news agency of the US-based human rights organization Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRAI), more than 50,000 people were arrested during this action, while thousands were reported to have been killed.
According to a report in 'The Guardian', 23-year-old Iranian accounting student Najmeh Amini has been sentenced to death on charges of blasphemy over a social media post. His case has raised concerns among human rights groups about restrictions on freedom of expression in Iran and the increasing use of the death penalty against dissent. After online surveillance, Iran's cyber police, known as 'Fata', arrested him again in February 2026. A source close to his family told HRAI that he was later sentenced to death on charges of sab ol-nabi, which means insulting the Prophet Muhammad. What was actually written in the social media post, due to which he was sentenced to death, has not been publicly disclosed.
Who is Najmeh Amini?
Amini is a 23-year-old accounting student from Iran who was detained during anti-government protests in January and later arrested again in February for her online activities. In a separate case, he was sentenced to 12 years, 6 months and one day in jail.
In an audio recording released last month which is said to be that of Amini. He appealed to the international community, the United Nations, lawyers and human rights organizations to investigate his case. According to 'The Guardian', she said that she does not want to make herself a hero today. She wants only one thing, that people become my voice.
What did Najmeh Amini say?
I am an innocent young girl with lots of hopes and dreams. I have parents who are waiting for me. Amini said that a family who spends the night awake every night in fear of losing me. Amini's death sentence is not yet final and it can be appealed in the Supreme Court of Iran.
What is Iran's blasphemy law?
Under Section 262 of Iran's Islamic Penal Code, insulting the Prophet Muhammad or respected figures of the Shia religion can result in the death penalty. Although Section 263 makes some relaxations for statements made without intent or under the influence of intoxication, other punishments, such as flogging, can still be imposed in some cases.
According to the Iranian newspaper 'Khorasan', which confirmed the judicial move. Amini told the court that he had said these things in a state of hallucination after taking psychedelic mushrooms with friends. According to reports, his defense argued that the incident was the result of a slip of the tongue. However, the presiding judge rejected the defense's argument. They raised questions that if she was hallucinating, why did she not insult other people or opponents of the Iranian regime – including the US and Israel?
Human rights groups expressed concern over death penalty
Human rights organizations have warned that Iranian authorities are increasingly using the death penalty to intimidate the public and suppress dissent. According to Oslo-based 'Iran Human Rights' (IHRNGO), more than 600 people have been hanged in Iran this year. Mahmoud Amiri-Moghaddam, director of IHRNGO, said Amini's case should be seen as a serious warning.
Demand to raise the issue at international level
He said executing a young woman for something she posted on social media risks normalizing the use of the death penalty against peaceful expression and further expanding the scope of the death penalty. Amiri-Moghaddam also warned that Iranian authorities were testing the international community's patience with the death penalty. He said that if the international community does not react strongly now, such cases may become more common.
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