Under Sharia law the concept of Qisas is enforced, advocating for equal reciprocal punishment, or “an eye for an eye”. Abolfazl was arrested while in the 9th grade when one day after some drinking he got into a fight with a playmate and accidently killed him. The family of the deceased has asked for blood money to forgo his execution.

Abolfazl says: “I miss my father. Nine months ago when I was here they said that my father had passed away. He was forty. He was a hardworking laborer and loved me very much. He went out of his way to get what I wanted if possible. When I heard he had passed away I cried a lot. I wished I could have seen him, but they did not allow me. They even did not allow me to go to his funeral.”

He added: “From the outset I did not have a lawyer and I defended myself. They got me a lawyer on the last day [of the trial], but to no avail.”