20-year-old Arvin Ghahremani, an Iranian Jew, is facing imminent execution following his conviction for killing a Muslim during a quarrel. As a member of a religious minority, the discriminatory laws make it difficult to spare his life.
Reports obtained by HRANA from Ghahremani’s close associates reveal that two years ago, Ghahremani was arrested and quickly sentenced to death for a fight that led to the death of Amri Shokri. Efforts by Ghahremani and the Kermanshah Jewish Committee to secure the victim’s family’s forgiveness through payment of blood money (Qisas) have been unsuccessful.
20-year-old Arvin Ghahremani, an Iranian Jew, is facing imminent execution following his conviction for killing a Muslim during a quarrel. As a member of a religious minority, the discriminatory laws make it difficult to spare his life. Reports from HRANA reveal that two years ago, Ghahremani killed Amir Shokri during a fight. He was arrested and quickly sentenced to death. Efforts by Ghahremani and the Kermanshah Jewish Committee to secure the victim’s family’s forgiveness through payment of blood money (Qisas) have been unsuccessful.
A video recently circulated on social media features Ghahremani’s mother appealing for public support to stop the execution. She pleads, “Pray for Arvin to come back home again.” Dr. Homayoun Sameyah Najafabadi, head of Iran’s Jewish Committee, confirmed that attempts to meet with the victim’s family and the newly appointed Imam of Friday Prayer in Kermanshah, Sheikh Mohammad-Hassan Rahimian, have been rejected. Efforts by the MP from Natanz to mediate were also fruitless, and proposals such as constructing a school in the victim’s name have been declined.
This case has heightened concerns within Iran’s Jewish community. Human rights activists argue that the retribution laws and their uneven application between Muslims and non-Muslims reflect systemic discrimination against religious minorities in Iran. These laws, rooted in religious ideology, often disadvantage non-Muslim citizens.
While Qisas mandates capital punishment if a non-Muslim kills a Muslim, the reverse scenario does not hold—a Muslim who kills a non-Muslim is only obliged to pay blood money. This legal disparity is a significant barrier to a fair trial and the achievement of civil rights in Iran.
The ongoing enforcement of unjust penalties for the murder of non-Muslims has led to numerous extrajudicial killings, especially of Iran’s Baha’i community, by extremist elements.
