Iran upholds death sentence for protester charged with 'enmity against God'

Iranian judiciary confirms death penalty for Mohammad Boroghani, having already executed two people over recent demonstrations

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s judiciary confirmed on Monday the death sentence against a man accused of violence during protests over the death in custody of Mahsa Amini.

“Mohammad Boroghani’s death sentence was upheld on December 6 by the Supreme Court,” the judiciary’s Mizan Online news website said.

The judiciary said it handed down a total of 11 death sentences in connection with the protests. Two of those were carried out.

Iran has been gripped by demonstrations since the September 16 death in custody of Amini, 22, an Iranian Kurd arrested by the country’s morality police for allegedly violating the country’s strict dress code for women.

Iranian officials called the protests “riots” and said hundreds of people including members of the security forces have been killed.

Thousands of others were arrested.

19 years old Iranian protester Mohammad Boroghani at imminent risk of execution.#MohammadBoroghani pic.twitter.com/RRZ98oBwrj

— leili (@leili34156874) December 31, 2022

Boroghani was charged in October with moharebeh, “enmity against God,” an offense punishable by death under Islamic sharia law.

He was accused of “wounding a security personnel with a knife with the intent of killing him and sowing terror among citizens” as well as “setting ablaze the governor’s office in Pakdasht,” a city 43 kilometers (27 miles) southeast of the capital Tehran.

#MohammadGhobadlou & #MohammadBoroghani are at imminent risk of being executed.
Wednesdays are execution day at Rajai Shahr prison and we are extremely concerned about those in death row.@MDiedenhofen
@Mon4Kooyong @C_AB_ pic.twitter.com/uiAS6msl82

— United4Mahsa (@U4Mahsa) December 27, 2022

The Supreme Court in recent weeks ordered retrials for three protesters facing the death penalty for their alleged involvement in the demonstrations, including a Kurdish rapper.