An Iranian court has handed down a death sentence to 33-year-old blogger Soda Ebrahimi Shamsabadi following charges linked to her online activity and alleged contact with foreign media.
Prosecutors convicted her on charges including “corruption on earth.” The court cited accusations that she insulted the Supreme Leader, conducted media work considered a threat to national security, and collaborated with governments deemed hostile. She was also accused of taking a photo of a site hit by a missile and sharing it with an Iran-focused outlet abroad, according to reporting by Iran International.
Shamsabadi, who grew up in Tehran and was living in Bandar Abbas, has been held at Bandar Abbas Prison since March. Reports indicate she spent 20 days in solitary confinement during detention.
Her social media posts became prominent during the January protests. At the time, she wrote about violence during the demonstrations and said there was extensive visual evidence and witness accounts. In a final Instagram post on February 23 to her more than 10,000 followers, she suggested she was prepared for the worst, saying she had chosen to stand by her convictions.
The ruling comes as human rights groups report a sharp increase in capital punishment in Iran. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned that the surge in death sentences appears intended to silence opposition. Data from Iran Human Rights shows at least 29 people arrested during the January protests have been executed since March, while the US-based Abdorrahman Boroumand Center has recorded 950 executions in Iran this year so far.
Iranian Blogger, 33, Sentenced to Death Over Posts Critical of Supreme Leader
