Arabi received the death sentence for his Facebook comments that allegedly defamed the Prophet Muhammad.
A 30-year-old Iranian man is sentenced to death for his posts on Facebook. Soheil Arabi's posts on Facebook allegedly insulted the Prophet Muhammad; he was sentenced to death by hanging in a Tehran court back in August. The crime of sabb al-nabbi, or "insulting the prophet," is punishable by death in Iran.
Arabi admitted to the posts back in August, and the Iranian Supreme Court maintained the Tehran court's decision for the death penalty on November 24. According to the Human Rights Watch, Arabi was arrested back in November of 2013 and was kept in solitary confinement for two months before he was transferred to a ward.
In addition to the conviction of sabb al-nabbi, Arabi was charged with efsad-e fel arz, or "sowing corruption of earth," which is also punishable by death and precludes any chance of pardon. Arabi's attorney, Vahid Moshkhani, claims that the Supreme Court illegally charged Arabi with that crime.
"It is simply shocking that anyone should face the gallows simply because of Internet postings that are deemed to be crude, offensive, or insulting. Iran should urgently revise its penal code to eliminate provisions that criminalize peaceful free expression, especially when they punish its exercise with death," commented Eric Goldstein, the deputy Middle East and North Africa director for the Human Rights Watch.
Nastaran Naimi, Arabi's spouse, explained that Arabi admitted to the posts under intense mental pressure as the interrogators of Iran's Revolutionary Guard threatened him with prosecution and conviction. Their five-year-old daughter, unaware of the situation, has been told that her father has been away for work.
Most of the posts, according to Arabi and his attorney, are not of his own opinion and that he was simply expressing the views of others. The Supreme Court rejected this defense.
Iran is known to detain individuals for their written, or typed, expressions towards the government. The country holds some 65 individuals in prison for their speech and writing.
Arabi's case has garnered the attention of human rights groups including the Human Rights Watch as well as Amnesty International. The Human Rights Watch issued a statement on Tuesday asking for a stay on Arabi's death sentence.
