After learning that his death sentence will be mitigated, an Iranian man is alleged to have died of joy.
The 55-year-old from southern Iran, known locally as Akbar, was convicted of murder 18 years ago and condemned to death.
His victim’s family have forgiven him, which meant he would no longer face the death penalty.
The family was reportedly persuaded to make the decision by officials from the state’s dispute settlement board.
According to a story in the state-run newspaper Hamshahri, Akbar suffered a heart attack as a result of being “overjoyed” after learning that the victim’s family had pardoned him and that he no longer faced execution.
Death sentences are frequently modified in Iran with the payment of Diyyeh, a privately negotiated settlement between the victims’ and perpetrators’ families.
According to Iranian legal authorities, an average Diyyeh payment is 4,800,000,000 Rials ($83,000).
In many situations, courts attempt to persuade the family to forgive the murderer, even going so far as to pressurize them. A murder punishment is frequently postponed for several years after the crime is done in order to persuade the victim’s family to forgive and give the perpetrator time to pay Diyyeh.