A 23-year-old woman in Iran has been sentenced to death for blasphemy over a social media post, according to the Guardian, citing human rights groups.
The woman, named as Najmeh Amini, was convicted of insulting the Prophet Muhammad, according to the Guardian's report as summarised by South Korea's Kyunghyang Shinmun. The Guardian reported the case on 14 October.
She is being held in Vakilabad Prison in the north-eastern city of Mashhad, according to the same account. MSN, citing the Guardian, described her as an accounting student.
Ms Amini was also given a separate sentence of 12 years, six months and one day in prison, according to Kyunghyang Shinmun and the US outlet Algemeiner. The charges reportedly included threatening national security and anti-state propaganda.
The claims come from rights groups and outlets relaying their reports. They have not been confirmed by an Iranian official or a court document seen by Tehran Telegraph.
No response from Iran's judiciary or state media had been reported at the time of writing.
The content of the post has not been made public, according to Kyunghyang Shinmun and Algemeiner. Reports say a recording attributed to Ms Amini circulated in which she appeals for help.
Algemeiner cited the US-based Human Rights Activists in Iran as a source. Other outlets cited Iran Human Rights, a rights group based in Norway.
Ms Amini was reportedly first arrested in January during nationwide protests and was later released. According to Northeast Live, she was arrested again on 3 February 2026 in Mashhad.
Algemeiner and Kyunghyang Shinmun reported that Iran's cyber police, known as FATA, flagged her online activity. The Guardian version says her post was reportedly detected by the cyber police.
Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of Iran Human Rights, said that sentencing a 23-year-old woman to death for what she expressed on social media was "an extremely alarming development", according to Northeast Live.
Mr Amiry-Moghaddam noted that blasphemy carries the death penalty under Iranian law, and that two men were executed on such charges in 2023. He said the case "risks expanding the use of the death penalty against peaceful online expression".
Kenneth Roth, a former head of Human Rights Watch, also commented on the case on X after the Guardian report. He described blasphemy as a vague charge.
Northeast Live reported that the death sentence is not final and is subject to review by Iran's Supreme Court. That detail comes from a single, smaller outlet and has not been confirmed elsewhere.
Under Iranian law, death sentences can be appealed to the Supreme Court. No date for any review had been reported.
Article 262 of Iran's Islamic Penal Code provides the death penalty for insulting the Prophet, according to Kyunghyang Shinmun and Northeast Live.
Rights groups say Iran uses monitoring by its cyber police to arrest people over online posts. In March, the Guardian quoted a woman identified as Elnaz, who said she was arrested over a private account.
Nationwide protests began in Iran in January 2026, reportedly over economic grievances. Ms Amini was arrested during them. Tehran Telegraph has not been able to verify the scale of the protests or reported casualty figures.
The spelling of her first name varies between outlets. Kyunghyang Shinmun gives it as Najime, while most other outlets use Najmeh.
The next steps to watch are any ruling by the Supreme Court and any statement from Iran's judiciary. Statements from United Nations human rights officials are also being watched for.
