Shahab Zahedi, Arrested Protester, Sentenced to Death Again After Supreme Court Overturned Previous Ruling

Breathing in Confinement – Friday, October 30, 2026: Shahab Zahedi, one of the individuals arrested during the January protests and currently held at Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, has once again been sentenced to death by Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court following a retrial.

According to Breathing in Confinement, the news outlet of Prisoners’ Rights in Iran, the new death sentence was issued by Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Abolghasem Salavati. Iran’s Supreme Court had previously overturned his death sentence and referred the case back to the court for retrial.

An informed source close to Zahedi’s family confirmed that the retrial hearing lasted only approximately 30 minutes and that objections concerning the investigation and evidence in the case were not effectively examined. According to the source, from the beginning of the judicial proceedings, the family’s chosen lawyers were prevented from attending the hearings and effectively defending the accused. These restrictions reportedly continued even after the court-appointed lawyers were dismissed.

In August, Branch 9 of the Supreme Court overturned Shahab Zahedi’s death sentence and referred his case back to Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court for reconsideration. However, following the retrial, the court once again sentenced him to death.

Shahab Zahedi, born in 1987 and employed as a motorcycle courier, was arrested on the evening of January 8 in connection with a fire at the “185 Mahmoud Kaveh” Basij base on Namjoo Street in Tehran. He was arrested that same day alongside four other individuals: Mohammadamin Biglari, Shahin Vahedparast Kalvar, Amirhossein Hatami, and Ali Fahim.

The charges brought against Zahedi include “assembly and collusion against internal and external security” and “moharebeh (waging war against God) and efsad-e fel-arz (corruption on earth) through setting fire to public property and facilities.” His interrogation hearing was held on January 10 at Branch 33 of the Tehran Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office, known as the Moghaddas Prosecutor’s Office.

According to the informed source close to Zahedi’s family, he had stopped while passing the scene after noticing a crowd gathering and had no involvement in the fire. The source also emphasised that his initial trial was held without a lawyer present. This, together with the denial of effective access to a lawyer of his choice and the expedited handling of his case, has raised serious concerns about the right to defence and the principles of a fair trial.

Shahab Zahedi is the father of a 16-year-old child and had been raising his child alone following the death of his wife.

In connection with the Basij base fire case, the death sentences of four individuals—Mohammadamin Biglari, Shahin Vahedparast Kalvar, Amirhossein Hatami, and Ali Fahim—were carried out in April this year.

The renewed death sentence against Zahedi, while questions remain regarding the evidence supporting the charges, the conduct of the investigation, and the denial of his right to access a lawyer of his choice, has heightened concerns about violations of fundamental fair trial guarantees and the risk of his execution.