A court in Rasht, capital of Gilan Province in northern Iran, has again sentenced political prisoner Zahra Tabari to death, months after Iran’s Supreme Court ordered a review of her case following international condemnation of the original ruling.
Zahra Tabari, a 68-year-old political prisoner held in Iran, was again sentenced to death by a Revolutionary Court in Rasht, according to reports released this week. The ruling was recently communicated to Tabari after a retrial ordered by the Supreme Court.
Tabari was first sentenced to death in November 2025 by Branch One of the Revolutionary Court in Rasht, presided over by Judge Ahmad Darvish-Goftar. According to reports, she was convicted on charges of baghi (“rebellion”) for membership and activity in the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). The proceedings lasted only ten minutes, were conducted by video conference, and took place without her chosen lawyer present.
FoFllowing international condemnation of the sentence, Iran’s Supreme Court referred the case for review to Branch Two of the Revolutionary Court in Rasht, headed by Mohammad Ali Darvish-Goftar, the son of Ahmad Darvish-Goftar.
Iran's Regime has reaffirmed Zahra Tabari's death sentence.
— SIMAY AZADI TV (@en_simayazadi) May 31, 2026
This is her last voice message from inside prison:
"To me, it is not the matter of saving life of an individual, but of saving lives of many others."pic.twitter.com/dgpj92qZHE https://t.co/rBYIBlSAVB
On April 14, 2026, the court reissued the death sentence on the same charges. The decision was formally delivered to Tabari in recent days.
Tabari, an electrical engineer and graduate of the University of Borås in Sweden with a master’s degree in sustainable energy, was arrested in April 2025 after security forces raided her home in Rasht. She had previously been arrested in June 2022 and sentenced to 18 months in prison.
On December 23, 2025, UN experts—including Mai Sato, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran—urged the Iranian authorities to halt Zahra Tabari’s execution.
In December 2025, more than 400 prominent women from around the world issued an urgent public statement calling for Zahra Tabari’s immediate release.
#Breaking #Iran News Alert
— SIMAY AZADI TV (@en_simayazadi) December 23, 2025
Joint statement by more than 400 women politicians, leaders, parliamentarians, sports champions, and human rights activists, addressed to the international and human rights community, calling for urgent action to stop the execution of Zahra Tabari.… pic.twitter.com/zyyJOOp6Qm
The new ruling comes amid increasing pressure on individuals accused of links to the PMOI and their families. In recent weeks, reports have indicated that relatives of political prisoners and PMOI supporters have been summoned and interrogated by Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence. Families of prisoners, including relatives of Marzieh Farsi, Sedigheh Moradi, Azar Karvandi, and executed PMOI member Akbar Daneshvarkar, have faced questioning, threats, and pressure to participate in proceedings linked to a mass trial involving PMOI members and other opposition figures.
The case also follows a wave of executions involving PMOI members. Since July 2025, ten members of PMOI/MEK have been executed, including Hamed Validi and Mohammad Massoum-Shahi on April 20, 2026, as well as Vahid Baniamerian, Pouya Ghobadi, Babak Alipour, Mohammad Taghavi, Akbar Daneshvarkar, and Abolhassan Montazer, who were executed between March 30 and April 4, 2026.
The renewed death sentence against Zahra Tabari comes as concerns continue to grow over political prosecutions, death penalty cases, and the treatment of prisoners accused of links to opposition organizations in Iran.