Iran's criminal policy approach and international instruments in extraditing apostate offenders

The right to freedom of religious belief is one of the recognized rights approved by Islamic jurisprudence, the Iranian constitution and international documents. However, the departure of a Muslim from Islam and his entry into infidelity has been identified in the form of apostasy and punishment has been prescribed for it in the Shari'a. So we are looking for answers to these questions: Is the existence of punishment for apostasy in conflict with the right to freedom of religion? Also, what is the approach of the Iranian penal system and international documents to apostasy? In addition, what is the approach to the extradition of apostate criminals in Iran's criminal policy and international documents? Research

This article is written in an analytical-descriptive manner.

In Islamic texts, there are verses and hadiths that specify the principle of freedom of belief, but after accepting Islam, he is deprived of the right to return along with promotion, propaganda and conspiracy.

Considering that apostasy is defined in international documents, especially the Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights, in the category of political crimes, which is an exception to the extradition of criminals, so it is not possible to extradite convicts to apostasy. In Iran's criminal policy, there is a possibility of being sentenced to the most severe punishment for apostasy. Also, Iran's political crime law confirms the non-extradition of a political offender, but is silent about apostasy and does not say how it is carried out.