Leila Abolhasani
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. In late May, Vahid Hemmatnejad, the presiding judge of Branch 5 of the Isfahan Revolutionary Court, sentenced Abolhasani to death by hanging. 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”. A source told IranWire that authorities accused Abolhasani of being involved in setting the store on fire. “She was arrested for documenting what was happening and was sentenced to death,” the refugee said.
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. The charge can carry the death penalty under Iran’s Islamic legal system. 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. 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.