Zahra Shahbaz Tabari, a political prisoner held in Lakan Prison in Rasht, was once again sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court of Rasht on charges of baghi (armed rebellion against the state) through membership and activity in the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), after her previous sentence was overturned by the Supreme Court.
The sentence was issued on April 14 and was recently served to Shahbaz Tabari in Lakan Prison in Rasht. The death sentence was issued by Mohammad Ali Darvish-Goftar, head of Branch Two of the Revolutionary Court of Rasht.
In January 2026, more than 400 prominent women from around the world and a group of United Nations experts called in separate statements for a halt to the execution of Shahbaz Tabari.
The 68-year-old political prisoner was sentenced to death by Branch One of the Revolutionary Court of Rasht in late October 2025, but the Supreme Court overturned the ruling and referred the case to Branch Two of the Revolutionary Court of Rasht for retrial.
In a letter dated November 4, 2025, Shahbaz Tabari detailed the death sentence issued against her and, citing legal provisions, described it as lacking legal basis and as evidence of the absence of a fair trial.
In part of her letter, the political prisoner wrote that her sentence had been issued on charges of baghi through membership in the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) and that she had also been sentenced to one year in prison on charges of propaganda against the regime.
She cited the installation of a banner bearing the slogan “Woman, Resistance, Freedom” and the existence of an audio file on her mobile phone that she had not sent to anyone as evidence used in her case.
Amnesty International also called for the immediate annulment of Shahbaz Tabari’s death sentence in a statement issued on October 31, 2025, emphasizing that she had been sentenced to death following a profoundly unfair trial.
Security forces raided Shahbaz Tabari’s home on April 17, 2025, and after searching the residence, arrested her and transferred her to Lakan Prison in Rasht.
Shahbaz Tabari is a graduate of Isfahan University of Technology, an electrical engineer, and a member of Iran’s Engineering Organization. She received her master’s degree in Sustainable Energy from the University of Borås in Sweden.
The issuance, confirmation, and implementation of death sentences against political prisoners in Iran have intensified in recent months, particularly following developments related to the 40-day war, and human rights organizations have repeatedly warned about the increase in this trend.
Reviews indicate that Iran’s regime executed at least 39 political prisoners between March 18 and May 26, 2026. Of those executed, 15 had been arrested during the January protests and eight were members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).
On May 26, the “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign called on international human rights organizations and “awake consciences” to take effective measures to prevent the continuation of executions and to stand with the people of Iran and their demands for freedom, justice, and the abolition of the death penalty in the face of the tragedy of executions.
