Zahra Shahbaz Tabari

Zahra Shahbaz Tabari is a 67-year-old electrical engineer, a member of Iran’s Engineering Organisation, and holds a master’s in Sustainable Energy from the University of Borås in Sweden. She was arrested at her home on 16 April 2025 and transferred to Rasht (Lakan) Central Prison Prison after security agents searched the residence and seized phones and a laptop. Her family reports that the case rests on scant, unreliable material, a cloth bearing the slogan “Woman, Resistance, Freedom” and an unpublished voice message, with no evidence of organisational or military links. Authorities attempted to introduce more serious allegations, including weapons possession, which the family describe as absurd and unfounded, particularly given her age and professional background.

Branch 1 of the Rasht Revolutionary Court held a videoconference hearing that her family says “lasted less than ten minutes." The court-appointed lawyer did not speak once and according to her son: “The judge announced the death sentence with a smile. The court-appointed lawyer also smiled when he heard the result.” She is held in Rasht (Lakan) Central Prison.

Charges: Baghy (armed rebellion) through membership of the People's Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI/MEK)

Status: Sentenced to death by Branch 1 of the Rasht Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Ahmad Darvish Goftar, in October 2025. The Supreme Court overturned her sentence on 26 January 2026 and referred her case to a court of equal standing for retrial.