Activists are warning that a Jewish-Iranian man may face execution after an act of self-defense resulted in the death of an Iranian Muslim in the southwestern city of Kermanshah.

Nethanel Ghahremani, in his early 20s, received a Qisas ruling, or “retributive justice,” after allegedly defending himself against a knife attack two years ago.

In Iran's Islamic courts, "Qisas" is the principle of retributive justice under Sharia law, where the punishment matches the severity of the crime, particularly in cases of homicide or bodily harm.

In this case, the victim's family is entitled to seek retribution.

Ben Sabti, an expert on Iranian Jews at the Israeli National Security and Strategy Institute, told Iran International that the Jewish community has repeatedly requested forgiveness from the family but has not been successful.

This news comes against the backdrop of Iran having the highest execution rate worldwide, second only to China.

An Amnesty International report last month revealed that Iran executed an unprecedented 853 people in 2023, including a significant number of minorities.