Mohammad Amin Valian
Encyclopedia
Mohammad Amin Valian is an Iranian student who was sentenced to death for participating in a 28 December 2009 demonstration protesting the 2009 presidential election
in Iran. According to elple.net, charges listed against him were "Moharebeh
, conspiracy to undermine national security, spreading propaganda, insulting high government officials." Among his crimes are
He was convicted of Moharebeh
, or defiance of God, under Iranian Islamic law. Valian was an electoral campaigner in the town of Damghan
for 2009 presidential candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi
, and is also a member of reformist student group called Office for Strengthening Unity
and studied at Damaghan Science University.
Valian is one of 11 people sentenced to death so far for taking part in opposition protests challenging the legitimacy of the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. As of March 2010, two of the eleven have been executed.
Iranian opposition leaders and some Islamic scholars have criticised the use of moharabeh and the death penalty against street protests, and in a 5 March 2010 statement the US government criticized his sentence as "disproportionate."
2009 Iranian election protests
Protests following the 2009 Iranian presidential election against the disputed victory of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and in support of opposition candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi occurred in major cities in Iran and around the world starting June 13, 2009...
in Iran. According to elple.net, charges listed against him were "Moharebeh
Moharebeh
Moharebeh is the title of a crime in Islamic law. Mohareb refers to the perpetrator of the crime. Moharebeh has been translated in English language media sources variously as "waging war against God," "war against God and the state," "enmity against God." Mohareb has been translated by English...
, conspiracy to undermine national security, spreading propaganda, insulting high government officials." Among his crimes are
chanting "Death to the dictator;" statements released by the Central Council of Islamic Association of DamghanDamghanDamghan is a city in and capital of Damghan County, Semnan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 57,331, in 15,849 families.Damghan is situated from Tehran on the high-road to Mashad, at an elevation of...
Science University, of which he is a member; and arranging debates between two marginal election candidates at the university. The evidence used against him included pictures of him throwing rocks at an Ashura protest
He was convicted of Moharebeh
Moharebeh
Moharebeh is the title of a crime in Islamic law. Mohareb refers to the perpetrator of the crime. Moharebeh has been translated in English language media sources variously as "waging war against God," "war against God and the state," "enmity against God." Mohareb has been translated by English...
, or defiance of God, under Iranian Islamic law. Valian was an electoral campaigner in the town of Damghan
Damghan
Damghan is a city in and capital of Damghan County, Semnan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 57,331, in 15,849 families.Damghan is situated from Tehran on the high-road to Mashad, at an elevation of...
for 2009 presidential candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi
Mir-Hossein Mousavi
Mir-Hossein Mousavi Khameneh is an Iranian reformist politician, artist and architect who served as the seventy-ninth and last Prime Minister of Iran from 1981 to 1989. He was a Reformist candidate for the 2009 presidential election and eventually the leader of the opposition in the post-election...
, and is also a member of reformist student group called Office for Strengthening Unity
Office for Strengthening Unity
The Office for Strengthening Unity , is an Iranian student organization created in 1979, and has been described as "the country's most well-known student organization," and "Iran's leading prodemocracy student group"...
and studied at Damaghan Science University.
Valian is one of 11 people sentenced to death so far for taking part in opposition protests challenging the legitimacy of the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. As of March 2010, two of the eleven have been executed.
Iranian opposition leaders and some Islamic scholars have criticised the use of moharabeh and the death penalty against street protests, and in a 5 March 2010 statement the US government criticized his sentence as "disproportionate."
See also
- Timeline of December 2009 Iranian election protests