Benjamin Naqdi, a martial arts champion from Shiraz and one of those arrested during the January 2026 protests in Iran, has been sentenced to death by a Revolutionary Court in Shiraz on charges of “corruption on earth”.
According to reports by human rights organizations, the 26-year-old protester was sentenced to death by a branch of the Revolutionary Court in Shiraz after being convicted of corruption on earth.
According to his lawyer, Mostafa Nili, the judges of the Shiraz Revolutionary Court classified all charges brought against Benjamin Naqdi as clear examples of corruption on earth and, on that basis, issued a death sentence against him.
Naqdi was arrested on January 3, 2026, during anti-government protests in Shiraz. Reports indicate that he was subjected to pressure and torture while in detention in order to extract a forced confession. Shortly after his arrest, state-affiliated media outlets broadcast a video of what was described as his “forced confession.”
The initial accusation against him was limited to “igniting a fire extinguisher and directing it toward police officers.” However, during the judicial process, security agencies allegedly expanded the case against him, first changing the charge to “attempted murder” and later to “enmity against God” (moharebeh).
The final indictment included charges of “enmity against God,” “membership in groups disrupting national security,” “assembly and collusion against national security,” and “propaganda against the state.”
According to his lawyer, the death sentence for corruption on earth was issued despite the fact that prosecutors had already dismissed charges related to “causing bodily harm to law enforcement officers” and “carrying a cold weapon” in the same case. This, he argued, indicates that no one was injured as a result of Naqdi’s actions.
