Supreme Court Reverses Death Sentences of Bita Hamthi and Mohammad Reza Majidi-Asl Following Wave of Criticism
Iran’s Supreme Court has overturned the death sentences of Bita Hamthi and Mohammad Reza Majidi-Asl, two detainees from the December 2024 protests, and referred their case back to a peer panel for reconsideration. This decision was made following increased pressure from human rights organizations and criticism regarding forced confessions, lack of fair trial proceedings, and the role of Revolutionary Courts in issuing death sentences for protesters.
As a wave of death sentences for detained protesters in Iran faced widespread reaction from human rights organizations in recent months, the country’s Supreme Court overturned the death sentences of Bita Hamthi and her husband Mohammad Reza Majidi-Asl. These two protesters had previously been sentenced to death alongside two other defendants in a controversial case.
According to reports released by human rights organizations, the case of these four citizens was returned to the Supreme Court with judicial objections, and the sentences were sent back to a peer panel for renewed examination.
Bita Hamthi and Mohammad Reza Majidi-Asl, along with Behrouz Zamani-Nejad and Kourosh Zamani-Nejad, were sentenced to death in March of this year by Branch 26 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Iman Afshary. According to the issued verdict, their primary charge was “operational activity for the hostile state of America and hostile groups”—a charge that human rights activists described as vague, ambiguous, and lacking clear evidence.
In addition to the death sentence, the Revolutionary Court also sentenced each of these defendants to five years in prison and complete confiscation of assets. Some legal observers described this as an example of simultaneous application of severe security and economic penalties against protesters.
According to the text of the court’s ruling, the charges included participation in protest gatherings, chanting slogans, destruction of public property, and allegations such as throwing incendiary materials and using “unidentified weapons.” However, reports emphasize that the verdict did not clearly delineate the specific and independent role of each defendant.
Human rights organizations have also stated that the defendants in this case were subjected to severe physical and psychological pressure during interrogation and forced confessions were extracted from them. Published reports indicate that these individuals were denied free access to their chosen lawyers and the standards of a fair trial during parts of the legal proceedings.
Bita Hamthi’s case received widespread coverage in foreign media outlets as well. Some media outlets described her as the first female protester connected to the recent protests to face a death sentence, a factor that increased the international sensitivity surrounding the case.
Meanwhile, human rights organizations have warned about the Islamic Republic’s increasing use of the death penalty against protesters. The Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) stated in a report that dozens of detained protesters in recent demonstrations face charges that could result in capital punishment.
Critics of the Islamic Republic argue that Revolutionary Courts, particularly in political and security cases, have repeatedly come under international criticism in recent years for issuing severe sentences based on forced confessions, denial of defendants’ legal rights, and non-transparent judicial procedures.
Although the overturning of Bita Hamthi and Mohammad Reza Majidi-Asl’s death sentences has temporarily halted the execution threat, human rights activists emphasize that referring the case to a peer panel does not mean the threat has ended, and there remains a possibility of severe sentences being issued again. This is particularly concerning given that the Islamic Republic has repeatedly used capital punishment as a tool to suppress protests in recent years.
