Najmeh Amini, a 23-year-old Iranian accounting student, received a death sentence for posting messages on social media that authorities deemed offensive to the Prophet Muhammad.
The young woman remains detained at Vakilabad Prison in the city of Mashhad, after being investigated by Iran’s cyber police.
According to reports on the case, Amini said she wrote the messages after consuming hallucinogenic mushrooms with some friends. Her defense argued that she had no deliberate intention to offend.
However, the judge rejected that explanation and questioned why, if she was under the influence of substances, she had not also insulted the United States or Israel.
Article 262 of Iran’s Penal Code provides for the death penalty for insulting the Prophet Muhammad. The student also received a sentence of more than 12 years in prison on other charges related to national security and propaganda against the regime.
The death sentence can still be appealed and has not been carried out.
Although this legislation applies in Iran, it does not represent the beliefs or practices of all Muslims. Laws on blasphemy and its punishments vary considerably from country to country.