Zahra Shahbaz Tabari, a 67-year-old Iranian political prisoner, has been sentenced to death by Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court in Rasht — marking the first time a woman supporter of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) has received such a sentence.
Her “crime,” according to regime authorities, was possessing a small piece of fabric inscribed with the slogan “Woman, Resistance, Freedom” and an unpublished voice message. The trial, held online, lasted less than ten minutes, without a real defense. Her court-appointed lawyer offered no resistance, and the verdict was issued immediately. She now has only ten days to appeal while held in Lakan Prison in Rasht.
A dual graduate in Electrical Engineering and Sustainable Energy (Isfahan University of Technology and the University of Borås in Sweden), Zahra was arrested in April 2025 after security forces stormed her home without a warrant. Her son, Soroush Samak, living in Sweden, described her as “a bold, conscious, and courageous woman whose bravery the regime fears.” In an interview with The Sun, he said, “This knife has lost its edge; these death sentences only fuel the people’s anger. My mother is not afraid to die, and we are proud of her courage.” He appealed to Western governments to condition all relations with the Iranian regime on halting executions and freeing political prisoners.
The death sentence came amid October 2025’s horrifying surge of executions — nearly 300 in a single month, including at least seven women. This wave of killings reflects what observers describe as the regime’s deep fear of another nationwide uprising. Zahra’s case has become symbolic of that fear — a warning meant to intimidate Iranian women who stand at the forefront of resistance movements.
International human rights organizations, including the Women’s Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), have called on the United Nations and global powers to intervene urgently to save Zahra’s life and to halt the growing wave of executions, which the NCRI calls “a crime against humanity.”
Zahra’s courage — and her son’s plea from exile — have turned her into a powerful symbol of defiance, representing the Iranian women who refuse to surrender, even when facing the gallows.
