Student, 23, sentenced to death over social media post that 'insulted' prophet

Student, 23, sentenced to death over social media post that 'insulted' prophet Accounting student Najmeh Amini, 23, is to be executed for blasphemy after she was involved in anti-regime protests earlier in the year A 23-year-old woman has been sentenced to death in Iran after making a social media post that authorities say insulted the prophet. Accounting student Najmeh Amini, 23, was sentenced to death for blasphemy last month after she had spent eight months in the notorious Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad. The regime previously said it was holding her on charges including “'insulting the Supreme Leader” and “clashing with security agents”. It has now been revealed by Iranian human rights activists that she was in fact sentenced to death on charges of 'sab ol-nabi' (insulting the prophet). She was also given a prison sentence of 12 years, six months, and one day for the charges of acting against national security and spreading anti-regime propaganda. Earlier this year Amini took part in a mass street protest against the authoritarian Iranian government and it was here that she was arrested on January 31. The regime's brutal crackdown following the protests saw more than 7,000 people killed, and thousands more were arrested, human rights groups have said. In a leaked audio recording from inside the jail last month Amini can be heard desperately pleading for help following her sentencing. “Greetings to the people of Iran. I am Najmeh Amini, 23 years old, speaking from the central prison of Mashhad. I am leaving this message for you on 18 September 2026,” she says on the recording. “I am not trying to make a hero out of myself today; I only ask one thing: be my voice. I am an innocent girl, a young person with so many hopes and dreams. I have parents who are waiting for me— a family that wakes up every morning fearing my loss. “I do not want the last remaining trace of me to be a few lines in a case file. “If my voice reaches outside the prison, please do not listen to it for just a moment and then forget it! “People, I only want justice and the opportunity to defend myself. I request that lawyers, legal scholars, human rights activists, and everyone who hears the voices of innocent people review my case file. “I request that international human rights organisations and responsible bodies at the United Nations hear my voice and investigate and follow up on the status of my case. “Remember my name; I may not be able to speak again. 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 added.” Tehran regularly executes political prisoners, often at public hangings. Iran Human Rights Monitor said: “Issuing a death sentence against a 23-year-old student after months of arbitrary detention, reported risk of torture, and complete denial of counsel doubles the urgency for immediate international intervention to stay and overturn this sentence.” Heba Morayef, Amnesty International's regional director recently said: “The Iranian authorities are unleashing a horrifying wave of executions and death sentences to punish and suppress dissent and project an image of strength and absolute control”. “The muted response from the international community emboldens the Iranian authorities to continue their deadly rampage.” At least 26 people have been executed for offences related to the January protests and at least 60 others, including three arrested as children, remain at risk of execution, Amnesty said.