On the morning of Wednesday, September 17, Babak Shahbazi, a 44-year-old political prisoner and father of two, was executed in Ghezel Hesar prison. He worked as an installer and repairman of air conditioners. He was arrested in January 2024 and, after months of interrogation and severe pressure, was tried in Branch 15 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court presided over by Judge Abolghasem Salavati. In May 2025, the court sentenced him to death on charges of “corruption on earth” and “espionage for Israel.”
Shahbazi’s family repeatedly called the charges “ridiculous and baseless.” According to them, during the trial it was claimed that he had been trained by Israel to use a simple office software like Microsoft Word. This claim, which was met with public ridicule and disbelief, clearly showed that the charges lacked any legal or logical foundation.
Protest of Babak Shahbazi’s fellow inmates against his execution
According to the latest reports from Ghezel Hesar prison, Shahbazi’s fellow inmates staged a sit-in in front of the office of Unit Four’s chief from the moment of his transfer until late Tuesday night. With continuous slogans and protests, they declared their opposition to Shahbazi’s transfer for execution. The sit-in lasted several hours, creating a tense and alarming atmosphere in the ward. According to informed sources, his fellow inmates insisted that Shahbazi’s execution was unjust and violated the most basic principles of human rights, and it should be stopped immediately.
Ambiguous judicial process
From the very beginning, Babak Shahbazi’s case was marred by violations of fair trial principles. His third request for retrial at the Supreme Court was also dismissed as “inadmissible” by Branch 29. The ruling stated that his lawyers, Milad Panahipour and Mohammad Saleh Noghrekhar, had failed to attach necessary documents such as the rulings issued by the Revolutionary Court and the Supreme Court. The judges argued that “what the aforementioned lawyers wrote lacks evidence and cannot be used as a basis for issuing a religious and legal judgment. Therefore, under current conditions, the case is incomplete and inadmissible.”
This ruling was signed by Branch Chief Abbasali Alizadeh and advisor Reza Hatami. Critics stressed that the Revolutionary Court, under Judge Abolghassem Salavati, never provides the original ruling to the defendant or his lawyers and only allows limited copying. Therefore, citing the “absence of attached documents” is legally unacceptable.
Execution in silence
With this ruling, Shahbazi’s death sentence became final, and the risk of its enforcement sharply increased in recent weeks. Informed sources reported that he was several times taken out of his ward under the pretext of being transferred to the Ministry of Intelligence, but in fact placed in a cell for execution. Ultimately, on Wednesday morning, his execution in Ghezel Hesar prison was confirmed.
Legal ambiguities and blatant contradictions
Babak Shahbazi’s case provoked widespread reactions among the public and human rights circles. Many described the ruling as “a symbol of injustice in Iran’s judiciary” and a clear example of using espionage charges as a tool to suppress citizens. Critics called the ruling “ridiculous and illogical.” They emphasized that the Revolutionary Court under Judge Salavati never provides the original verdict to the defendant or his lawyers, allowing only limited copying. Thus, the Supreme Court’s reliance on the “absence of attached documents” is legally baseless and highlights the lack of transparency in the judicial process.
These ambiguities once again raised serious questions about the independence of the judiciary and its commitment to fair trial standards.
At the same time, reports emerged that Babak Shahbazi was taken out of his ward hours before the announcement of this ruling, under the pretext of being sent to the Ministry of Intelligence. When his family went to the prison, they were told by the security officer that his exit had not been registered and that he was still inside the prison.
