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Biden Fails a Death Penalty Abolitionist’s Most Important Test

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The mystery of Joe Biden’s views about capital punishment has finally been solved. His decision to grant clemency to 37 of the 40 people on federal death row shows the depth of his opposition to the death penalty. And his decision to leave three of America’s most notorious killers to be executed by a future administration shows the limits of his abolitionist commitment. The three men excluded from Biden’s mass clemency—Dylann Roof, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, and Robert Bowers—would no doubt pose a severe test of anyone’s resolve to end the death penalty. Biden failed that test.
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Iran | Jewish Arvin Ghahremani at Imminent Risk of Execution Following Appeal Rejection

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Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); May 24, 2024: Arvin Ghahremani, a young Jewish man on death row for murder, is at imminent risk of execution in Kermanshah Central Prison after his appeal was rejected by the Supreme Court. His relatives say key errors in the case were intentionally ignored and Arvin’s actions to save the victim were not mentioned in the indictment.

Iran Human Rights calls for an immediate stay of execution in the case of Arvin Ghahremani and other death row prisoners, and demands his case be investigated in a transparent and clear manner.

Arvin Ghahremani is a 20-year-old Jewish man who was sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder during a street group fight when he was 18 years old. 


According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, Arvin’s appeal was rejected without serious consideration and many important events leading to the stabbing were ignored. 

His relatives told IHRNGO that Arvin’s court-appointed lawyer did not effectively defend his client for unknown reasons and his right to self-defence was not properly presented in the case.

Arvin Ghahremani
According to his relatives, when the victim attacked Arvin with a cold weapon, he took the weapon and defended himself. 

Arvin did everything to save his life after injuring him but he died after medical assistance was delayed in reaching him.

In an audio message obtained by IHRNGO, Arvin Ghahremani’s mother, Sonia Saadati appealed for help save her son’s life.

On 15 May 2024, IHRNGO reported at least 103 people were executed in Iranian prisons in the previous 28 days. 

IHRNGO Director, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam previously said: "The silence of the international community regarding the execution of more than 103 people in the last four weeks is unacceptable and must end."

Source: Iran Human Rights, Staff, May 24, 2024

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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."

— Oscar Wilde



Location: Iran
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