Iran has delayed the execution of Arvin Nathaniel Ghahremani, a 20-year-old Jewish man from Kermanshah, which was scheduled for Monday. Ghahremani was convicted of murdering a Muslim man two years ago. International organizations and Ghahremani’s family have been working tirelessly to prevent the execution, pressuring the relatives of the deceased to accept a ransom in return for commuting the death sentence.
Ghahremani was sentenced to death for killing a man in a brawl two years ago, according to an Iranian human rights group. The opposition-linked Iran International news website reported that Ghahremani was allegedly defending himself after being attacked with a knife, leading to a sentence under the penal code for “retributive justice.”
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The Oslo-based group Iran Human Rights (IHR) stated that Ghahremani, from southwestern Kermanshah, was initially set to be executed on Saturday, but his family was informed the execution would take place on Monday. Ghahremani was convicted of the “intentional murder” of Amir Shokri during the fight.
Reports indicate that Ghahremani’s only hope of being spared under Iran’s Islamic code is if the victim’s family agrees to forgive him, which they have so far refused to do. IHR shared a voice recording from Ghahremani’s mother, pleading for prayers to save her son. Videos on social media showed prayers being held for Ghahremani at Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem.
Before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran had approximately 100,000 Jews; by 2016, this number had fallen below 10,000. Iran openly supports terrorist groups like Hizbullah and Hamas, which are committed to Israel’s destruction. Prominent Jewish figures in Iran sometimes issue anti-Israel statements aligning with the regime’s agenda.
Amnesty International reported that Iran executed 853 people in 2023, the highest total since 2015. Amnesty stated that Iranian authorities have “persisted with their state-sanctioned killing spree which has turned prisons into killing fields.”