Mohsen Amir Aslani Zanjani

Mohsen Amir-Aslani Zanjani was executed on 24 September 2014 at Rajai Shahr Prison in Karaj. He had been sentenced to death for offering a different interpretation of the Quran and other charges. The sentence, which had been overturned twice, was ultimately carried out following approval by judicial authorities, and his body was handed over to his family. Amir-Aslani was a psychologist who provided counselling to his clients.

It was reported that he held sessions on dream interpretation and Quranic exegesis, offering personal advice to participants. The Supreme Court had previously deemed his death sentence legally unfounded, but it was eventually upheld.

Initially, an investigator had issued a non-prosecution order for him, but this was changed to detention at the insistence of the then-prosecutor. In the initial trial, he was sentenced to four years in prison for religious innovation, which was reduced to two years and four months on appeal. New charges were also brought against him, which were recorded in the case without evidence. His case was sent to the Revolutionary Court, where a death sentence was issued.

Following objections from lawyers, the case went to the Court of Appeal, which overturned the Revolutionary Court's jurisdiction and sent the case to the Criminal Court of Tehran Province. This court, with five judges present, ultimately confirmed the death sentence. The case returned to the Supreme Court, which, after its review, declared the death sentence illegal and ordered a retrial. However, Amir-Aslani's death sentence was reaffirmed, and the Supreme Court highlighted the case's deficiencies and reiterated the illegality of the execution.