Ali Zarei, Eye-Injured Victim of “Woman, Life, Freedom” Protests, Sentenced to Death

Ali Zarei Dozdahresay, a 27-year-old prisoner and one of the eye-injured victims of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests, has been sentenced to death by Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, after being arrested upon his return from Germany and is currently held in Qarchak Prison in Karaj; a case that has once again raised concerns about the Islamic Republic’s use of capital punishment against opponents and protesters.

Ali Zarei Dozdahresay, an Azerbaijani citizen from Ardabil and a resident of Tehran, has been sentenced to death by Branch 23 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court on charges of “corruption on earth” (Efsad fi-l-Arz). The death sentence for this political prisoner, who is imprisoned in Qarchak Prison in Karaj, was delivered to him on the first day of Shahrivar 1405 (August 23, 2026). Hrana and other human rights sources have reported that this verdict was issued in connection with a series of political and security charges against him.

According to Hrana’s report, the court framed activities including “widespread engagement in political activities,” “creating artificial damage reflections,” “preparing false news,” “propaganda against the system,” “undermining security,” and “illegal entry and exit from the country” within the charge of “corruption on earth” against Zarei.

However, Ali Zarei’s case is not limited to the issuance of a death sentence. His background dates back to the nationwide protests of 1401 (2022); when during the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement, one of his eyes was damaged as a result of being hit by a pellet fired by government forces. Human rights and media sources have identified him as one of the eye-injured victims of that year’s protests.

Now, several years after losing one of his eyes during the protests, this former protester faces one of the Islamic Republic’s harshest punishments—a verdict that could cost him his life.

Zarei had lived in Germany for a period before returning to Iran. According to published reports, he was arrested by intelligence agents on Ordibehesht 8, 1405 (April 28, 2026), after entering Iran. His case was investigated during the preliminary investigation phase at Branch Three of the Prosecutor’s Office of District 33 in Tehran, known as the Security Prosecutor’s Office.

He was then transferred to Qarchak Prison in Karaj on Tir 9, 1405 (June 30, 2026), and is now held in Unit 3, Ward 37 of the prison. Qarchak is one of Iran’s most important prisons in terms of carrying out death sentences, and numerous reports have been published in recent years about executions in this facility.

According to Iran Human Rights report, Zarei, in addition to the death sentence, has been sentenced to additional prison time for charges including “membership in a group intended to undermine the country’s security,” “anti-regime propaganda activities,” “spreading lies on social media,” “illegal exit from the country,” and “contact with people opposed to the regime.” This source has also expressed concern about his legal proceedings and the limitation of access to his chosen lawyer during the preliminary investigation phase.

The charge of “corruption on earth” is one of the heaviest criminal charges under Islamic Republic law and can result in a death sentence. In recent years, human rights organizations have repeatedly warned about the use of this charge and other security-related allegations to issue severe verdicts against protesters and opponents of the Islamic Republic.

Ali Zarei’s case has emerged at a time when the issuance of death sentences for political prisoners and protesters in Iran continues. Iran International reported that in recent weeks, a number of other political defendants have faced death sentences or had their death sentences upheld by the Supreme Court.

On the other hand, human rights reports show that the use of capital punishment in political cases in Iran is not merely a judicial matter; it has become one of the most serious human rights concerns regarding the Islamic Republic. The issuance of such verdicts continues while international bodies and human rights organizations have repeatedly called for an end to the use of capital punishment, especially in cases involving political charges.

Zarei’s case is significant in another respect: in 1401 (2022), when thousands of Iranians took to the streets protesting the country’s political and social situation, he was injured in the eye. Now, that same individual, after returning to Iran, faces not only imprisonment but also a death sentence.

This process presents a bitter picture of the cycle of repression in the Islamic Republic; a protester who was injured during the protests, left the country, returned to Iran, and after arrest faces charges that could result in execution.

Meanwhile, Ali Zarei has called from inside prison for the attention of human rights activists, international organizations, and the Iranian people to his situation. The content of this appeal further highlights the importance of efforts to prevent the execution and to clarify the dimensions of his case.

The fundamental issue in such cases is not merely opposition to capital punishment; the quality of legal proceedings and the defendant’s right to a fair trial are equally important. When a person faces charges that could result in loss of life, effective access to counsel, the ability to mount a real defense, judicial independence, and transparency of proceedings become critically important.

Regarding Ali Zarei, human rights organizations have expressed concern about the observance of these rights. “Union for Iran” has also pointed to issues in his case, including lack of access to a lawyer.

Now the death sentence of this 27-year-old young man hangs over him, having previously lost one eye in the protests. His case once again raises the question: does the judicial system of the Islamic Republic respond to political protest and civil activity with punishments whose ultimate consequence could be taking a human life?

For Ali Zarei, the distance between being injured on the street and standing at the threshold of the gallows spans only a few years; a distance that for many Iranian protesters has become a symbol of the cost of opposing the Islamic Republic.

The issuance of a death sentence for Ali Zarei Dozdahresay, alongside similar verdicts issued against other political prisoners in recent weeks, shows that the machinery of repression and execution in Iran continues to operate; a machine that this time threatens the life of a young man who previously lost part of his sight during the protests.