A group of UN human rights experts and more than 400 prominent women from around the world on Tuesday urged Iran to halt the execution of political prisoner Zahra Shahbaz Tabari held in Lakan Prison in Rasht.
“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,” the UN experts said.
The statement adds that under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Iran ratified in 1975, the death penalty must be limited to the “most serious crimes”, understood as involving intentional killing.
“This case involves no intentional killing and contains numerous procedural violations. To execute Ms. Tabari under these circumstances would constitute arbitrary execution,” the experts said.
UN human rights experts, who monitor states’ compliance with international law and regularly brief UN bodies and governments, said the case highlights a wider pattern of abuses in Iran’s use of the death penalty
The experts said she was sentenced to death on the charges of baghi (armed rebellion) in October based on two pieces of evidence, including a piece of cloth bearing the slogan “Woman, Resistance, Freedom,” a popular slogan from the 2022 protests, and an unpublished audio message.
“What we see here is a mockery of justice that falls far short of the most basic international standards,” they said, urging Iran to halt the execution and bring its use of the death penalty in line with its international obligations.
Prominent women worldwide urge Iran to stop Tabari's execution
More than 400 prominent women from around the world also urged Iran to halt the execution of Tabari in an appeal that denounces her death sentence as the outcome of an unjust trial.
Among the signatories are prominent Iranian women in exile as well as international feminists and human rights defenders, bolstering the appeal’s call for global pressure on Tehran to stop Tabari’s execution.
Some of the most high-profile signatories include Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi, Republican US Congresswoman Nancy Mace of South Carolina, and Samantha Power, the former US ambassador to the UN.
The appeal is also signed by former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and other senior former officials, including ex-ministers and ambassadors.
"Tabari as a 67-year-old mother and engineer who was sentenced to death in October on national security charges after a brief remote hearing held by videoconference," the statement said.
“Our colleague’s death sentence was handed down in a sham 10-minute trial, held remotely via videoconference without her chosen legal representation,” the signatories said, calling the proceedings a violation of Iran’s obligations under international law.
“For four decades, Iranian authorities have enforced brutal gender apartheid and institutionalized misogyny including through forced veiling,” the statement added.
The appeal urges the Iranian authorities to immediately quash Tabari’s death sentence and release her, warning that her hanging would amount to a further crime under international law.
“We demand Zahra’s immediate release, and we call on governments worldwide to stand with the women of Iran in their quest for democracy, equality, and freedom,” the signatories said, calling for concerted diplomatic pressure and engagement with UN mechanisms to prevent the execution.
