Death Sentence Issued to Leila Abolhasani, Detained During the January Protests in Shahin Shahr

Breathing in Confinement, Thursday, 27 August 2026: Leila Abolhasani, a 43-year-old woman detained during the January protests in Shahin Shahr, Isfahan Province, has been sentenced to death on the charge of “moharebeh” (enmity against God). Following an appeal against the sentence, her case was referred to the Supreme Court and is currently under review.

According to information received by Breathing in Confinement, the news outlet of the Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran, Leila Abolhasani was sentenced to death in May by Branch 5 of the Isfahan Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Vahid Hemmatnejad, on the charge of “moharebeh.”

Leila Abolhasani, the mother of two teenage daughters, was arrested on 8 January during protests in Shahin Shahr. According to informed sources, she was filming the scene of a fire at an Ofoq Kourosh store when she was arrested.

Sources close to the Abolhasani family have stressed that she played no role in starting the fire or setting the store alight and was merely recording footage of the incident.

Following her arrest, Abolhasani was transferred to Dowlatabad Prison in Isfahan, where she has remained ever since.

The indictment and judicial proceedings allege that Abolhasani participated in setting the store on fire. However, those close to her have rejected this allegation and provided a different account of her presence at the scene.

According to Leila Abolhasani’s relatives, she was merely filming the incident when the fire broke out and played no part in setting the store alight or starting the blaze.

Following an appeal, her death sentence was referred to the Supreme Court for review. No final decision has yet been announced on whether the sentence will be upheld or overturned.