The key facts
- Iran's Supreme Court overturned Leila Abolhasani's death sentence and sent the case back to a lower court for review
- The prosecution claimed she took part in setting fire to a store, while human rights advocates say she was only filming what was happening
- According to Amnesty International, at least 34 people have been executed in cases connected to the January protests
Sentence overturned, case sent back for review
Iran's Supreme Court has overturned the death sentence handed down to 43-year-old Leila Abolhasani and sent her case back to a lower court for reconsideration. The news was reported on October 29 by The National citing the human rights organization Human Rights Activists in Iran, which called the decision a rare victory for the campaign to free the woman. According to activists, neither the court ruling nor the evidence in the case has been made public.
What she was accused of and what her defenders say
Abolhasani, a manicurist and mother of two, was arrested in the city of Shahin Shahr during anti-government protests in January, which were suppressed by force. According to the prosecution, she took part in setting fire to one of the stores of the Ofogh Kourosh chain. In August, a court found her guilty of 'moharebeh' — 'waging war against God' — and sentenced her to death. Human rights advocates outside Iran argue that she was merely filming what was happening: citing a source close to the family, the organization Human Rights Activists in Iran reported that the woman was near the site of the protest, where a store was burning, and was 'filming the scene.' She was held in a prison in Isfahan.
Context: the scale of repression in protest-related cases
Abolhasani's case is being considered against the backdrop of widespread repression following the protests that began in late 2025 over rising prices and the weakening of the Iranian currency, and grew into one of the largest anti-government uprisings since the 1979 revolution. According to figures cited by The National, between 25,000 and 50,000 people were detained during the protests in Iran. Amnesty International reported this month that at least 34 people have been executed in cases connected to the January protests; other executions on espionage charges took place during the US and Israel war against Iran. In September, a UN-backed fact-finding mission stated that the authorities' response to the protests amounted to crimes against humanity: according to its findings, security forces fired at crowds from rooftops, trapped demonstrators in alleys with tear gas, and carried out killings in all 31 provinces of the country.
