UN experts urge Iran to halt execution of Zahra Tabari, citing grave trial violations

Tabari was sentenced to death on 25 October 2025 by the Revolutionary Court of Rasht for baghi—defined as armed rebellion against the foundations of the Islamic Republic.

United Nations human rights experts have called on Iran to immediately halt the execution of Zahra Shahbaz Tabari, a 67-year-old electrical engineer currently detained in Lakan Prison, Rasht. The experts warn that her conviction and death sentence reflect serious violations of international human rights law, including the misuse of capital punishment for vague national security offences and severe breaches of fair trial guarantees.

A Case Marked by Procedural Violations

Tabari was sentenced to death on 25 October 2025 by the Revolutionary Court of Rasht for baghi—defined as armed rebellion against the foundations of the Islamic Republic. The charge was based solely on two pieces of evidence:

• a piece of cloth bearing the slogan "Woman, Resistance, Freedom," widely used during the 2022 protests, and

• an unpublished audio message allegedly opposing the government.

Authorities accused her of planning to display the cloth as a public banner as an act of rebellion.

UN experts stressed that neither item constitutes credible evidence of armed rebellion."Ms. Tabari's case shows a pattern of serious violations of international human rights law regarding fair trial guarantees and the inappropriate use of capital punishment for broad and ill-defined national security offences," they said.

Arrest Without Warrant, Solitary Confinement and Coerced Confession

Tabari was arrested during a raid on her home without a judicial warrant, held in solitary confinement for a month, and interrogated intensively. During this period, she was pressured to confess to taking up arms and to claim membership in an opposition group—allegations she denies.

Her trial lasted less than 10 minutes and was conducted entirely via video. She was denied access to a lawyer of her choosing and instead represented by a court-appointed attorney. The death sentence was issued immediately following the hearing.

These irregularities, experts noted, render the conviction fundamentally unreliable:"The unlawful deprivation of liberty, denial of effective legal representation, lack of time to prepare a defence, and reliance on insufficient evidence all point to a deeply flawed process."

Misuse of the Death Penalty

Iran is a State party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which restricts the death penalty to the "most serious crimes," interpreted as cases involving intentional killing. Tabari's case involves no such act.

"To execute Tabari under these circumstances would constitute arbitrary execution," the experts warned. They also highlighted the gender dimension, noting that treating women's activism for equality as evidence of armed rebellion constitutes a grave form of gender discrimination.

Pattern of Abuses in National Security Cases

Tabari is among at least 52 people currently facing the death penalty in Iran under broadly defined national security charges such as baghi (armed rebellion), moharebeh (waging war against God), corruption on earth, and espionage.

Other women activists have been sentenced to death on similar grounds; although some sentences were overturned, Iranian Kurdish activist Pakhshan Azizi still faces execution for baghi.

"The debate around capital punishment has evolved globally," the experts added, "but Iran's judiciary is operating far outside accepted legal norms, reducing trials to a mockery of justice."

Call for Immediate Intervention

The UN experts called on Iranian authorities to prevent this "arbitrary and unlawful execution" and to ensure that due process, transparency and international legal standards are upheld.

They confirmed they are in direct contact with Iran seeking urgent intervention to save Tabari's life.