Cases of Political Prisoners Sentenced to Death in Iran
Case No. 6 | Case ID: IRN-DP-1404-006 | Last reviewed: 17 August 2026
| Zahra Shahbaz Tabari, a 68-year-old political prisoner held in Lakan Prison, Rasht, was arrested at her home in Rasht on 17 April 2025. Branch One of the Rasht Revolutionary Court sentenced her to death for baghi (armed rebellion), and Branch Two repeated the death sentence after a retrial. Denial of access to counsel of her choice, an extremely brief trial and reported pressure during interrogation raise serious concerns regarding her right to life and fair-trial guarantees. |
Key Case Information
| Category | Information |
| Full name | Zahra Shahbaz Tabari |
| Date of birth | Exact date unknown |
| Age | 68 |
| Occupation before arrest | Electrical engineer; Master’s degree in Sustainable Energy, University of Borås, Sweden |
| Family status | Mother of two; her son, Sorush Samak, lives in Sweden |
| Date and place of arrest | 17 April 2025; her home in Rasht |
| Charges | Baghi (armed rebellion); based on alleged links to the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI/MEK) |
| Court | Branches One and Two, Rasht Revolutionary Court |
| Judge | Ahmad Darvish-Goftar; Mohammad Ali Darvish-Goftar |
| Lawyer | Court-appointed lawyer; no effective access to counsel of her choice |
| Sentence | Death; reissued after the second hearing |
| Current place of detention | Lakan Prison, Rasht |
Human and Personal Background
Zahra Shahbaz Tabari is an electrical engineer and mother of two. She studied at Isfahan University of Technology and received a Master’s degree in Sustainable Energy from the University of Borås in Sweden. Her son, Sorush Samak, 35, lives in Sweden. She was previously arrested in June 2022 and sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment.
Arrest, Trial and Sentencing
Security forces arrested Zahra Tabari at her home on 17 April 2025 without presenting a judicial warrant. She was interrogated for about one month in solitary confinement and, according to credible information, was pressured to confess to membership in an opposition group and to “taking up arms against the government”, allegations she has denied.
The first trial was held by video conference and lasted less than ten minutes. She saw the court-appointed lawyer for the first time on the screen during that hearing and has said that she could not even hear the lawyer’s voice. On 25 October 2025, Branch One of the Rasht Revolutionary Court sentenced her to death for baghi. The two principal items cited against her were a piece of cloth bearing the slogan “Woman, Resistance, Freedom” and an unpublished voice message.
After the case was referred to Branch Two of the Rasht Revolutionary Court, a new hearing was held on 27 April 2026 and lasted about half an hour. According to the available information, Mohammad Ali Darvish-Goftar, the judge in the case, left the courtroom during the hearing. Branch Two subsequently reissued the death sentence.
Statements by Zahra Shahbaz Tabari from Prison
In a message from prison, Zahra Tabari said: “All they attributed to me was a piece of cloth and a voice message, that’s it! There is nothing else in my case.” Speaking about the lawyer, she said: “I never even heard this lawyer’s voice.” She also stressed: “I committed no crime… you are punishing me solely because of my beliefs,” and described the sentence as “a judicial killing, not a judicial ruling.”
Government Response and Conduct
Judicial authorities have based the sentence on the charge of baghi and linked the case to her alleged association with the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran. There are also reports of psychological pressure, harassment in prison and denial of weekly family visits. No information has been provided about an independent investigation into the reported pressure during interrogation.
International Reactions
Independent United Nations experts have called for an immediate halt to the execution and stressed that no intentional killing is alleged in this case. They warned: “Executing Zahra Tabari in such circumstances would amount to an arbitrary execution.”
Amnesty International has also called for her conviction and death sentence to be quashed and described the proceedings as “grossly unfair and in violation of the basic principles of a fair trial.”
More than 400 prominent women worldwide, including four Nobel laureates and several former presidents and prime ministers, have also called publicly for her immediate release: “We call for Zahra’s immediate release.”
Current Status and Risk of Execution
Zahra Shahbaz Tabari remains under sentence of death in Lakan Prison, Rasht. The reissued death sentence, restrictions on contact with her family and the unclear status of the next stage of judicial proceedings keep the risk of execution serious.
Human Rights and Fair Trial Analysis
Right to life: Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights restricts the death penalty to the “most serious crimes”. The absence of any allegation of intentional killing in this case seriously calls into question the compatibility of the sentence with this standard.
Right to a fair trial: Article 14 of the Covenant guarantees effective access to legal counsel and adequate opportunity to prepare a defence. A trial lasting only minutes, the absence of chosen counsel and the lack of an effective opportunity to defend herself raise serious concerns about the reliability of the proceedings.
Prohibition of coerced confession: Reports of prolonged interrogation in solitary confinement and pressure to confess require an independent investigation, and any statement obtained under coercion must be excluded from the judicial process.
Conclusion
Zahra Shahbaz Tabari remains under sentence of death following an arrest without a warrant, interrogation in solitary confinement and judicial proceedings accompanied by reported violations. The execution must be halted immediately and fair-trial guarantees must be ensured.
Urgent Appeal
United Nations bodies, governments and international human rights organisations are urged to act immediately to prevent the execution of Zahra Shahbaz Tabari.
- Immediately halt the execution and formally disclose her judicial status to her family and lawyer.
- Quash the death sentence and transparently disclose the status of any appeal or judicial review.
- Guarantee immediate and confidential access to counsel of her choice and adequate facilities for her defence.
- Publish the judgment, evidence and legal basis for the sentence.
- Conduct an independent investigation into pressure during interrogation and exclude any statements obtained under coercion.
- Ensure a retrial before an independent and impartial tribunal, without recourse to the death penalty.
- Guarantee regular contact and visits with her family and protect her from pressure and harassment in prison.
