Islamic Republic Sentences Suda Ebrahimi to Death on Charges of “Corruption on Earth”

Suda (Marzieh) Ebrahimi Shamsa Abadi, a 32-year-old political prisoner suffering from MS, has been sentenced to death by the Bandar Abbas Revolutionary Court on charges of “corruption on earth” (Efsad-fi-l-Arz). Arrested during the 40-day war, she has been accused of media activities and photographing a missile strike site. This verdict once again highlights the Islamic Republic’s use of capital punishment to suppress opponents and critics.

The death sentence issued for Suda Ebrahimi is not merely an isolated legal case; this verdict comes at a time when the Islamic Republic’s use of capital punishment for political and security-related cases has dramatically increased.

Human Rights Watch stated in its latest report on September 10 that Islamic Republic authorities executed at least 59 people between March 18 and the end of August 2026 on political charges and vague charges related to national security; among them, at least 29 had been detained in connection with recent protests. The organization emphasized that many of these cases were accompanied by extremely short and unjust judicial proceedings, the use of torture-tainted confessions, and reliance on reports from security agencies.

Human Rights Watch also warned that the Islamic Republic has transformed capital punishment into a tool for political suppression and creating terror in society; a process in which even individuals not accused of killing anyone have faced death sentences on vague security charges.

This process has previously faced widespread international reaction. In August, 33 countries including Britain, Germany, France, Canada, and Australia issued a joint statement condemning the Islamic Republic’s use of capital punishment to “silence dissent, intimidate communities, and punish individuals for exercising their human rights.”

According to Hrana’s report, Suda (Marzieh) Ebrahimi Shamsa Abadi, born in Arak and resident of Bandar Abbas, was arrested by security forces in Farvardin 1405 (March 2026) and transferred to Bandar Abbas Central Prison.

Her case includes charges such as intelligence and security cooperation with “hostile states,” insulting the leader of the Islamic Republic, media and propaganda activities against national security, and photographing a military site.

However, one of the primary matters on which security agencies based their case was taking a distant photograph of a missile strike location and sending it to Persian-language media outlets outside Iran.

Hrana also reported that the Bandar Abbas Revolutionary Court sentenced her to death on charges of “corruption on earth,” and in addition to the death sentence, the verdict also includes confiscation of all assets and severance from public and civil service.

In such cases, titles such as “corruption on earth” and “action against national security” can have extremely severe consequences and have repeatedly led to death sentences in political cases in recent years.

Suda Ebrahimi’s physical condition has heightened concerns about her fate. According to published reports, she has suffered from MS for approximately six years and also struggles with psoriasis, narcolepsy or sudden sleep attacks, and severe stomach cramps.

The Organization for Human Rights in Iran has also reported that her medical condition is inadequate and has raised concerns about the limitations on her access to specialists and necessary medications. The report also indicates that in the initial stages of her case, she faced restrictions in access to her chosen lawyer.

In a case where the punishment is death, effective access to a lawyer, fair trial proceedings, and the ability to mount a real defense against charges are of vital importance.

Suda Ebrahimi’s verdict has been issued at a time when the Islamic Republic has increasingly used security charges to deal with opponents, protesters, and critics over recent months.

Human Rights Watch stated in its September report that dozens of other political prisoners and protesters remain at risk of execution, and in many cases, charges such as damage to public property or cooperation with “hostile states” have formed the basis for issuing severe sentences.

Amnesty International also announced in July that at least 60 people, including three who were children when the charges attributed to them were brought, face the death penalty in connection with protests. The organization has criticized the Islamic Republic’s increasing use of vague security charges such as espionage and cooperation with hostile states to issue death sentences.

Under such circumstances, the case of Suda Ebrahimi Shamsa Abadi once again raises the serious question of whether capital punishment in Iran is merely a judicial sentence or has become a tool for terrorizing society, silencing opponents, and preventing the free flow of information.

For a government, even if a citizen has committed a violation or crime, the right to life and the right to fair trial should not become a tool for political settlement. A death sentence is the most irreversible of punishments, and in political cases where security charges are vague and access to effective defense is questionable, the danger of irreparable injustice multiplies many times over.

Suda Ebrahimi’s case has now become another example of growing concerns about the Islamic Republic’s use of capital punishment against opponents and critics; a sentence that, if carried out, will not only take the life of a young, sick woman, but will once again demonstrate how the Islamic Republic’s apparatus of repression can take a political case all the way to the gallows.