An Iranian court on Tuesday has sentenced a 22-year-old man to death for violating the Islamic Republic’s ban on drinking alcohol several times.

Under Iran’s Islamic sharia law, a person who is caught drinking for a fourth time faces possible capital punishment, even though legal experts say executions for this offense are very rare. “My client had been drinking at home for a fourth time and he made some disturbance in the street and police arrested him,’’ Aziz Nokandei, a lawyer, said.

Nokandei said his client, identified only with his first name Mohsen, had confessed and expressed remorse. He can appeal against the verdict within 20 days under Iranian law.