In November 2022, Arvin Nathaniel Ghahremani, a 20-year-old Iranian resident, left the gym where he was working out and noticed a group of seven men lying in wait for him over an outstanding debt. Amir Shokri, identified by Iranian agencies, grabbed a knife and attempted to stab Ghahremani, who allegedly overpowered the assailant, seized the knife, and fatally stabbed him in an act of self-defense, according to the indictment. In Tehran, the court decided to sentence Ghahremani to an unappealable death sentence.
The intention to execute Ghahremani sparked worried reactions from members of the small Jewish community in Tehran, Iranian Jews abroad, and Jewish communities worldwide, who sought to send a clear message – this is a perversion of justice. It is worth noting that Jews constitute a tiny minority in the Islamic Republic, with their current population estimated at around 8,000 people.
Members of the Jewish community fear that over time, Ghahremani's situation will worsen, and the court's decision cannot be overturned. Dr. Homayoun Sameyah, the Jewish representative in the Iranian parliament, has asked several Muslim lawmakers to try to persuade Shokri's family to accept financial compensation from Ghahremani and agree to have a mosque built in Shokri's name. However, these efforts have so far been in vain.
