Justice for Arvin Netanel ben Ziona!

11 Iyyar 5784 | יא באייר ה'תשפ"ד
26th Day of the Omer Count

NOTE: This post is dedicated to my rabbi, R' Ephraim Avraham Sprecher, zz"l (Rabbi was niftar yesterday, Shabbat Emor.)

Arvin Netanel Ghahremani ben Sonia Tziyona. From Matzav.com, obviously 😉

 *UPDATES* BELOW

Perhaps you have heard of the imminent execution of a young man, Arvin Ghahremani, for the death of Amri Shokri. Both are from Iran.

Certainly, this needs context, and it is hard to get, but here is what we have as of this writing:

The deed took place in Iran two years ago. Arvin is a Jew, while Amri was a Muslim. For anyone who knows about religious laws in Iran, which all of the countries except Israel have in common (I don't think there are Christian countries here anymore; there used to be), we can derive the following point: Arvin is a dhimmi, and thus has far fewer rights than Amri, the one with the ruling religion.

Arvin is a Torah scholar, while we don't know what Amri was.

The actual facts on the ground don't seem to matter to the Iranians, but in absolute terms they do, especially as complete redemption approaches. As far as I can determine, in chronological order:

1. Arvin lent Amri money more than two years ago, when he was 18 years old.

2. At some point, Arvin asked for his money back. 

3. Amri didn't want to pay Arvin back, so he brought a knife with him and threatened Arvin with it. According to at least one report, 7 men attacked him. (see below)

4. Arvin defended himself from this imminent threat and Amri ended up dead, from his own weapon being used on him.

5. Amri's parents won't accept the blood money that is every Iranian's right to offer; Iranian Jews from all over, and as far away as Los Angeles, offered them money. THEY WANT THE JEW DEAD, NO MATTER WHAT. A number of ways to pay this money have been DECLINED.

I am not a legal expert of any kind, but from a derekh eretz point of view I see some problems:

Muslim law dictates that dhimmis not possess weaponry or defend themselves in any way from attack by someone of the dominant religion.

Amri was killed with a knife, apparently his own large knife.

If Muslims believe in their law, they have to admit that Arvin didn't possess a knife, thus no intention to kill Amri. Arvin only wanted his money back, that he'd lent to Amri.

The fact that Amri was killed by his own weapon is his own fault because he brought it with him. 

But Muslim law declares the Muslim's superiority over the dhimmi Jew, thereby nullifying Amri's fault "legally."

While I was writing this post, this breaking news item came across: The execution was held off for another month. By the time you read this, there will be more articles on this.

While one could take this to be torture for Arvin and his family, I see a silver lining: The authorities don't really believe that Arvin is guilty of the charges against him. If they believe in their own law, they know that Arvin didn't have a weapon, much less bring one to the fight 2 years ago. 

Therefore, I believe that Arvin has been, and still is, a hostage of the Iranian government for the past 2 years.

If they really believe in God, they will ultimately let him go free, or be forced to do so by a Higher Authority. 

 Speaking of which, I was praying this morning and asked H' to act accordingly, and He apparently took the next step. This post is to advocate the complete freedom and justice for Arvin Netanel, not just mercy and softened hearts. It's time to let him go.

And not only him, but many others...unfortunately, Iran is having a execution spree right now...

Please continue to pray for, and say tehillim for, Arvin Netanel ben Ziona. Several versions of his Hebrew name are here in case you want to pray for him by any of them.

 Some ways to pray in joint tehillim readings (all the same person):

Arvin Netanel ben Sonia Tziona | Arvin Netanel ben Sonia | Say Psalm 13 13 times (it's short) and let the Iranian/Persian Jewish community of LA know you did by signing into your Google account! The mekubal there wants 1,000 people! |

Other sources of news on this subject: 

Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) | NY Post gets my vote for the most detailed presented facts on the leadup to the sentence, so far, although this might not be the latest on the sentence itself. Attacked by 7 men?!?! And Amri was 40 years old. Not a boy or even a young man! | Jerusalem Post the first article I found with details | i24 also mentions the 7 attackers | Yeshiva World News took at least 1 part of their post from the NY Post | Times of Israel |

One article said he was released, but I can't find any confirmation or details. Please feel free to write me at my blog address if you find anything that gives details on his release, and how you want to be mentioned, or not at all, if you prefer. 

Many thanks in advance!

***

 UPDATE after Shabbat 23 Sivan 5784: with your Tehillim, Hashem has decided to extend this for another 40 days. They received a 40 day extension this morning. Pls DO NOT add anything to this when passing the news.

UPDATE: From a WhatsApp news group: The Mekubal from LA wants people to pray Ps. 51, and while reading verse 12 there, say the names of Amri's parents: Iman Shukri (father) and Hadiyeh Nazari Mir Aghaei (mother), that they should agree to free Arvin Netanel ben Sonia. 

Psalm 13, 13 times, are still being said and desired.

UPDATE: According to The Jerusalem Post, time is of the essence, despite the "delay." They can decide to execute him AT ANY MOMENT. The regime (not the people) enjoy executions!!! Maybe the Mekubal would consider praying for the Iranian government to have softer hearts too? Would that work?

I like what H' did to Raisi and all who were with him...the government didn't take that warning, so maybe He would do the world a favor and sink it down into the ground, like Korach and his followers in the Bible?

***

More reading:

'No signs of life': Iranian President killed in helicopter crash He was supposed to sign Arvin Netanel's death warrant... | Hangman of Tehran Meets his Maker, Fell Out of the Sky |Former Iranian foreign minister: 'US sanctions to blame for crash that killed President' | Human rights expert: UN Security Council refused to hold meeting on Israeli hostages | Official Israeli source confirms: Israel was not involved in the death of Ebrahim Raisi | Hague Prosecutor wants arrest warrants against Sinwar AND Netanyahu | ...also see this JNS story | Finally! IDF demolishes illegal 6-story Arab building near Efrat | Iran's Raisi confirmed dead in helicopter crash near Azerbaijan border (the commentary is fantastic! Lots of credit to HQB"H!) | Why the Iranian regime may have just signed its own death warrant (in 2020. God has all the time in the world... - HDG) | Don't be soft on jihadist antisemites, says Persian Jew | Leaders 'kept Jews in the dark' about impending execution (this is about Arvin!) | Iranian Jewish Family Faces Steep Cost in Battle To Save Son from Execution |

 More viewing:

Celebrations around the world and in Iran, ding dong, the witch is gone (video included) | The International Court of Jew-hating immorality not justice |