Dec 2, 2014

On Dec. 1, the deputy head of Iran’s judiciary, Gholam Ali Mohseni Ejei, responded to a reporter’s question about Soheil Arabi, who was sentenced to death for Facebook posts deemed insulting to the Prophet Muhammad. Ejei said, “Currently, there is no pardon, and he’s been convicted of ‘corruption on Earth,’ but there has been a request for his case to be reviewed again.”

According to the transcript provided by Islamic Republic News Agency, Mohseni Ejei did not elaborate further.

Many Iranian Facebook users became aware of Arabi’s case on Nov. 24, when Iran's Supreme Court upheld the death sentence for Arabi, who was convicted in a Tehran criminal court with insulting the prophet. A Facebook page against Arabi's execution was set up to spread awareness about the case.

According to Arabi’s lawyer, Vahid Moshkani Farahani, the Tehran court had originally sought the death penalty for Arabi for “insulting the prophet.” When the Supreme Court reviewed the case, it upheld the ruling and added the “corruption on Earth” charge, which also carries the death penalty.

Arabi was arrested on November 2013 along with his wife Nastaran Naimi, who was soon released. Naimi made no public comments until the Supreme Court ruling, and has since pleaded in various interviews with foreign-based media outlets for her husband’s life.