Najmeh Amini, an Iranian accounting student, was first arrested in January amid nationwide anti-government protests triggered by economic grievances. A 23-year-old Iranian woman has been sentenced to death for blasphemy over a social media post, according to human rights groups. Over 50,000 people were detained as the government launched a deadly crackdown, and Amini was among them. She was arrested again on February 3, 2026, in Mashhad after Iran’s cyber police, FATA, flagged her online activity, according to rights groups.
She was charged with making “highly vulgar and offensive insults against the Infallible Imams.”
The exact content of the social media post has not been made public. However, her death sentence, issued on September 16, is not final and can be appealed before Iran’s Supreme Court.
“I do not want to make a hero out of myself today. I only want one thing: to be my voice. I am an innocent young girl with so many hopes and dreams. I have parents who are waiting for me. A family that every night, with the fear of losing me, turns their night into morning. Remember my name; I may not be able to speak again. Rights Groups Raise Alarm Over Death Sentence Human rights organisations have condemned Amini’s sentence, warning that the use of capital punishment in cases involving online expression could further restrict freedom of speech in Iran.
But as long as I am alive, I hold one hope: that before the rope marks the end of my life, I see my prosperous and free Iran,” she said.
In a separate case, she was sentenced to 12 years, six months and one day in prison on charges including acting against national security and spreading propaganda against the government.
She was convicted of sab ol-nabi, or insulting the Prophet Muhammad, a charge punishable by death under Iranian law, according to a report by Guardian.
