The Revolutionary Court of Rasht has sentenced Zahra Shahbaz Tabari, a 67-year-old political prisoner, to death.
Branch One of the Revolutionary Court of Rasht sentenced political prisoner Zahra Shahbaz Tabari to death on charges of “collaboration with groups opposing the regime.”
The ruling was issued despite “very limited and unreliable evidence.”
Judge Ahmad Darvish-Goftar issued the death sentence last week during a video-conference hearing for Shahbaz Tabari.
The political prisoner from Rasht has been accused of “collaboration with the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).” The PMOI/MEK is the largest organized opposition group to Iran’s regime.
Iran’s regime has turned executions into a tool of control and repression. The regime’s policy of executions serves not justice, but the continuation of institutionalized violence and an admission of its inability to enact social reform.
Trial lasted less than 10 minutes
Shahbaz Tabari’s family described the entire court process as “symbolic and illegal.”
In an interview with the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Shahbaz Tabari’s child said: “The trial lasted less than 10 minutes. My mother did not have effective access to an independent lawyer. The lawyer appointed by the judiciary endorsed and relayed the verdict without offering any real defense. The entire trial was a show.”
He added: “The judge announced the death sentence with a smile during a 10-minute session. The appointed lawyer also smiled when he heard the verdict.”
He called the charges against the 67-year-old political prisoner “fabricated” and stressed that his mother “had no connection whatsoever with any political group or opposition movement.”
Earlier, on July 27, Iran’s regime executed two political prisoners, Mehdi Hassani and Behrouz Ehsani Eslamloo, on charges of membership in the PMOI/MEK.
Global Condemnation of the Execution of Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani
Another political prisoner, Manouchehr Fallah, imprisoned in Rasht, has also received a death sentence on the same charge.
These actions by the Iranian regime reflect its fear of the growing activities of the resistance movement. Through such measures, the regime seeks to intimidate and influence public opinion.
Limited and unreliable evidence
According to Zahra’s relatives, the case evidence consists solely of “a piece of cloth bearing the slogan ‘Woman, Resistance, and Freedom'” and “an unpublished voice message,” with no indication of organizational or military activity.
Her child added that Iranian regime security officials even attempted to add more serious charges, including “possession of weapons,” to the case—an allegation that, considering her age and professional background, is “baseless and absurd.”
Shahbaz Tabari is a graduate of Isfahan University of Technology, an electrical engineer, and a member of the Iranian Engineering Organization. She holds a master’s degree in Sustainable Energy from the University of Borås in Sweden.
She had previously been arrested for posting peaceful content on social media and was released after three months under electronic monitoring.
On April 17, security forces raided Shahbaz Tabari’s home, arrested her, and transferred her to Lakan Prison in Rasht.
During the operation, agents searched her residence and confiscated her mobile phone, laptop, and those of one of her family members.
According to Shahbaz Tabari’s family, she has only seven days to appeal the death sentence issued against her.
