Iranian mother sentenced to death for filming store fire during protests

Leila Abolhasani, 43, was arrested in the satellite city of Shahin Shahr on Jan. 8 after she filmed a fire at an Ofogh Koorosh grocery store during the nationwide anti-government protests. The country's Judiciary accused her of participating in the arson, a charge that carries a mandatory death sentence, though her relatives insist she merely recorded the blaze. She has been held at Dowlatabad Prison in Isfahan, and in late May Judge Vahid Hemmatnejad of Branch 5 of the Isfahan Revolutionary Court sentenced her to be hanged.

The verdict was appealed and forwarded to the Supreme Court for further examination. The case reflects a broader crackdown, with UN human-rights chief Volker Türk reporting at least 56 executions for security-related offenses since March, many tied to the January unrest. Critics argue the death penalty violates fundamental human rights and aims to silence dissent.