Arvin Nathaniel Ghahremani, a 20-year-old Jewish man from Kermanshah, Iran, was executed after being convicted of murdering a man who allegedly attacked him over a financial dispute, Iranian media reported on Monday. The Jewish community in Iran confirmed the execution.
The incident occurred in November 2022, when Ghahremani was working out at a gym in Kermanshah, approximately 500 miles from Tehran. Among the other men present was Amir Shokri, 40, who reportedly owed Ghahremani money. According to Ghahremani's family, Shokri pulled out a knife and stabbed him. Ghahremani wrestled the knife away and fatally stabbed Shokri in self-defense. Shokri later died in the hospital.
Despite efforts by Ghahremani’s family to pay the traditional blood money to Shokri’s family, which would have commuted the death sentence, Shokri’s relatives refused to accept the offer and insisted on the execution. Ghahremani was found guilty of "deliberate murder of a Muslim" and sentenced to death.
Reports indicate that the Iranian regime intervened to ensure the execution. In May, local media claimed that Habibollah Ghafouri, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s representative in Kermanshah, along with the Revolutionary Guards' intelligence service, pressured Shokri's family to reject any settlement. The involvement of the regime was seen as an effort to target Ghahremani due to his Jewish identity.
Ghahremani's mother, Sonia Sadati, sought assistance from Iranian human rights organizations, but her efforts were unsuccessful. Family members argued that crucial defense details, including Ghahremani's attempt to help the injured Shokri and efforts to save his life, were omitted from court documents. Despite the family's insistence that Ghahremani acted in self-defense, the court rejected their claims, leading to his execution.
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