Iranian man receives death sentence for social media posts
Amirhossein Mousavi was convicted of corruption on earth after being detained for nearly two years over his anonymous X account.
By Jenna Mitchell ·
Amirhossein Mousavi will face execution in Iran after a court sentenced him to death for content published on X and Instagram. His lawyer and several human rights organizations confirmed the verdict on Wednesday. The ruling marks another high-profile case involving digital expression in the country.
Mousavi was convicted of the capital charge known as corruption on earth. His legal team stated that the conviction specifically connected his online activity to the X account named James B. Dean. The account was run anonymously but was identified by authorities as belonging to Mousavi.
He was arrested at a Tehran airport in December 2024 while preparing to travel to the Iranian Gulf island of Kish. He had been held in detention for almost two years. During that time, he was shown on Iranian state television in October 2025 making confessions.
The state broadcast accused Mousavi of acting as an Israeli agent to incite protests during nationwide demonstrations in 2022. Mousavi, who is 40, later retracted those comments. His lawyer Reza Shafakhah noted that the confessions were aired before legal proceedings began. He described the confessions as tainted by torture.
Norway-based rights group Iran Human Rights (IHR) said the conviction stemmed from online dissent. The group highlighted that Mousavi had been forced to retract his televised statements. US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) also confirmed the sentence. HRANA identified the presiding judge as Abolghasem Salavati, who is known for issuing execution verdicts.
The sentence comes as Iran increases the use of the death penalty for political prisoners. The country has executed 36 men following the January 2026 protests. It has also executed two other men related to the 2022 demonstrations since the war began with the US and Israel.
Mousavi used two main handles for his social media presence. One was James Bi Din, which translates to James without faith in Persian. The other was James B. Dean. Both accounts have since been suspended by the platforms.
