Gazelle said it was critical to note that her father was not convicted of terrorism, but of "corruption on Earth," a Quranic phrase the Islamic Republic sometimes uses as a catchall term for anti-government behavior of protesters and dissidents. Amnesty International recently wrote a letter to the head of Iran’s judiciary asking him to immediately issue an order to reverse the "unfair conviction" and annul the death sentence. According to Amnesty, Sharmahd has been tortured for three years and held in prolonged solitary confinement. The group says he was also deprived of adequate health care and should be released immediately.
