There are growing concerns over the imminent execution of Mehrab Abdollahzadeh, a 28-year-old Kurdish political prisoner, after the Supreme Court refused to halt the proceedings. Despite a formal request for a retrial, Branch 39 of the Supreme Court has reportedly declined to issue a ‘stay of execution’, placing his life in immediate danger.
Legal violations and judicial overreach
His defence lawyer, Sidad Shirzad, has raised the alarm on social media, stating that the court’s refusal to halt the sentence constitutes a direct violation of Article 478 of the Criminal Procedure Code. According to Iranian law, once a retrial request is filed in cases involving the death penalty, the execution must legally be paused.
Shirzad noted that the court’s refusal to issue a stay of execution leaves no room for legal interpretation, stating that it is a blatant disregard for the law and that the case is riddled with procedural and substantive flaws.
A Case Built on Coercion
Abdollahzadeh, a barber from Urmia, was arrested on 22 October 2022 during the ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ protests. He was charged with ‘Efsad-e Fel-Arz’ (Mofsed-e-Filarz/Corruption on Earth) in connection with the death of a Basij paramilitary member.
Key points of contention in the seven-volume case file include:
Forced Confessions: He was held incommunicado for 38 days in an IRGC Intelligence Organisation detention centre, where he was subjected to severe physical and psychological torture.
Lack of evidence: CCTV footage of the incident does not show Abdollahzadeh at the scene. Furthermore, the court ignored his request to track the GPS data from his mobile phone, which would prove his absence from the location of the crime.
Urgent appeal
Human rights organisations warn that the judicial system is rushing the execution despite the lack of credible evidence and valid confessions. Abdollahzadeh has consistently denied all charges at every stage of his trial.