Amin Pourfarhang faces execution risk on “moharebeh” charge over protests

Hengaw — Friday, January 30, 2026

Amin Pourfarhang, a Kurdish man from Shirvan and a pharmacy student at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, was arrested by Iranian government forces during latest protests and is now facing the charge of “moharebeh” (waging war against God), placing him at risk of a death sentence.

According to information received by Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Pourfarhang was detained during protests in Shirvan and is currently being prosecuted by Iranian authorities on the serious charge of “moharebeh.” In recent years, this charge has repeatedly been used as a tool to suppress protesters and silence dissent.

Pourfarhang was previously an undergraduate student of chemical engineering at Sharif University of Technology, where he enrolled in 2011, before continuing his studies as a pharmacy student at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences.

The use of the charge of “moharebeh” against unarmed protesters has once again raised serious concerns about the instrumentalization of the death penalty to instill fear and suppress protest movements.