Will Iran execute Jewish man for self-defense killing of Muslim?

U.S.-based Persian Jews are fundraising to secure last-minute reprieve for young Jewish man scheduled for execution by hanging.

The Iranian regime is gearing up to execute a young Jewish man convicted of murder on Monday, barring a last minute reprieve from the victim’s family.

20-year-old Arvin Natanel Ghahremani was involved in a 2022 brawl in the city of Kermanshah, which left a Muslim Iranian dead.

According to Iranian court documents viewed by the New York Post, the man who was killed was actually the aggressor in the incident.

Ghahermani was working out a gym when he was confronted by a group of seven men, one whom owed him money, court transcripts indicated.

One of the mob, identified as Amir Shokri, stabbed Ghahermani with a knife. Shokri was killed after Ghahermani wrested the knife away and fought back in self-defense.

Ghahermani was convicted by a local court of being an “accomplice to the intentional murder of a Muslim” and for “intentionally inflicting nonfatal injuries,” according to the Post report.

He was immediately sentenced to death by hanging, which is not appealable under Iranian law.

Iran is governed by Sharia law, which provides harsher punishments for non-Muslims who kill Muslims than in incidents when both parties are Muslim.

Blood money

Iranian does have a provision which would permit Shokri’s family to spare Ghahermani from execution, in exchange for financial compensation.

So far, the slain man’s family has refused to accept payment, but that may be for strategic reasons.

According to rumors circulating in Iranian Jewish social media groups, the Shokri family are aware that Ghahermani’s loved ones are in contact with wealthy U.S.-based Iranian Jews and are attempting to raise compensation funds to spare his life.

Some have suggested that the Shokri family is playing hardball in the negotiations and are holding out for a large amount of money, because they are aware of the efforts from the Jewish community to fundraise in order to save Ghahermani.

Due to a quirk in Iranian law, the Shokri family could potentially wait until moments before Ghahermani’s scheduled execution to “forgive” him and accept compensation, which obviously creates maximum pressure and an incentive for them to wait to agree to payment for as long as possible.

Source: worldisraelnews.com, Staff, May 19, 2024

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