A court in the central Iranian city of Isfahan sentenced Mahmoud Mehrabi to death for social media posts in which the activist criticized the Islamic Republic.
Information about the posts for which he was convicted of "corruption on Earth", the most serious crime under Iran's Islamic criminal code, is scarce, writes RSE in English.
Mehrabi's lawyer, Babak Farsani, wrote on social media on May 5 that there were "serious problems" with the verdict, adding that he hoped it would help the Supreme Court overturn it.
Mehrabi was arrested in February 2023, and spent the last six months in a prison ward where dangerous criminals are kept, said his sister Hajar Mehrabi, who lives in Austria.
She told Radio Farda that her brother was among the tens of thousands of people who participated in the "Women, Life, Freedom 2022" protests over the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody.
According to the report of the UN Fact-Finding Mission, the 22-year-old woman died of injuries sustained in police custody after she was accused of not wearing the hijab properly.
Mehrabi's sister said he called for demonstrations on his social media profile and was accused of "spreading fake news".
Charges of "corruption on Earth" are usually brought against serious crimes, such as murder, drug trafficking, and in cases of high corruption.
Human rights organizations have strongly criticized the Iranian authorities for their extensive use of the death penalty.
"Prisons across the country have become sites of state-sanctioned mass killing under the guise of judicial executions," Amnesty International said recently.
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