Iranwire – Iran has overturned the death sentence initially handed down to a football coach accused of sexually harassing multiple teenage students.
The Islamic Republic’s judicial system has revised the sentence to lashing and exile.
The case began in 2021 when a father approached the police with his teenage son, filing a complaint of sexual harassment against the boy’s football coach.
In the days that followed, similar complaints against the coach multiplied, eventually involving eight boys aged between 12 and 14.
The accused brought these minors to his house under the pretext of football training and abused them.
Initial forensic examinations confirmed the sexual abuse allegations, leading to a death sentence in the first court hearing.
However, the coach’s lawyer contested the verdict, resulting in the case being sent for re-examination.
During the second court session, forensic experts revised their assessment.
They reported that while abuse had happened, “it did not constitute rape.” This new finding led to the coach’s death sentence being overturned.
The case was then heard in the fifth branch of the criminal court in Tehran province. The proceedings were conducted behind closed doors, where the accused defended himself and denied the charges of molesting teenage boys.
Taking into account the revised forensic report, the court has now sentenced the accused to 99 lashes, two years of exile to a region with harsh weather conditions in the southeast of the country, and a two-year ban from sports and coaching activities.