Iran's Supreme Court Overturns Death Sentence for Woman Filming Protest Blaze

A woman in Iran, sentenced to death for allegedly filming a burning shop during anti-regime protests, has had her execution overturned by the Supreme Court. Prosecutors had accused Leila Abolhasani, 43, of involvement in setting the shop ablaze during the January protests, which were met with a severe government crackdown. Ms Abolhasani, a nail technician and mother of two, was apprehended in Shahin Shahr, becoming one of an estimated 25,000 to 50,000 individuals detained during the unrest. She was convicted of moharebeh, or enmity against God, and handed a death sentence in August.

Campaigners outside Iran asserted that Ms Abolhasani was merely recording the events. A source close to her family, as quoted by Human Rights Activists in Iran, stated, "When Ms Abolhasani was present at the protest site, one of the Ofogh Kourosh chain stores in Shahin Shahr was burning and she was filming the scene." She was reportedly held at a prison in Isfahan.

However, on Thursday, it was reported that the Supreme Court had nullified her sentence and remanded the case to a lower court for a retrial, marking a rare success for advocacy groups. Activists have noted that no court ruling or evidence has been publicly disclosed.

Amnesty International reported this month that Iran has executed at least 34 individuals in cases connected to the January protests. Additionally, others have faced execution on espionage charges amid what is described as a US and Israeli war on Iran. A UN-backed fact-finding mission concluded last month that the government's response to the protests constituted crimes against humanity.

The unrest, which began in late 2025, was initially sparked by economic factors such as high prices and the devaluation of Iran's currency. It evolved into one of the most significant anti-regime uprisings since the 1979 revolution. According to the UN mission, government forces responded by firing into crowds from rooftops, using tear gas to trap demonstrators in alleys, and carrying out killings across all 31 provinces of Iran.