This article was originally published in Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). Read the original article.
By RFE/RL's Radio Farda
A large group of influential women from around the world as well as UN experts have issued separate statements urging Iran to immediately release Zahra Shahbaz Tabari, a 67-year-old electrical engineer facing imminent execution.
Tabari was sentenced to death on October 25, by the Revolutionary Court of Rasht for baghi -- armed rebellion against the foundations of the Islamic republic.
The conviction was based on a piece of cloth bearing the slogan "Women, Resistance, Freedom," which appeared to be a play on the “Women, Life, Freedom” motto popularized during Iran's 2022 protests. Authorities alleged she planned to display the cloth as a public banner.
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In an appeal brought by a UK-based organization, more than 400 prominent women, including four Nobel Prize laureates and several former presidents and prime ministers, on December 23, described Iran as “the world's number one executioner of women per capita.”
“Zahra's case lays bare this terror: in Iran, daring to hold a sign declaring women's resistance to oppression is now punishable by death,” their letter said.
The organization, Justice for the Victims of the 1988 Massacre in Iran, represents the families of thousands of political prisoners executed in Iran more than 30 years ago.
Tabari, who studied sustainable energy in Sweden, was first arrested approximately four years ago after sharing a social media post. She was released after three months with an electronic monitoring device. In April 2025, security forces raided her home in Gilan province and arrested her again.
Her son, Soroush Samak, who lives in Sweden, told RFE/RL’s Radio Farda earlier this year that Tabari’s trial lasted only 10 minutes -- a point also highlighted in a statement by eight UN experts that was published on December 23, in which they said the trial was conducted via videoconference and she was denied access to her chosen lawyer.
They demanded Iran halt the execution, calling the case a "mockery of justice." They pointed to serious procedural violations, including unlawful detention, denial of effective legal representation, and the use of insufficient evidence to support charges of armed rebellion.
"Criminalizing women's activism for gender equality and treating such expression as evidence of armed rebellion constitutes a grave form of gender discrimination," the UN experts stated.
Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) said Iran had carried out at least 1,426 executions by the end of November this year, including 41 women.
Copyright (c)2025 RFE/RL, Inc. Used with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
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