June 18, 2024
In May 2024, the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Isfahan, Iran, issued a death sentence for Mahmoud Mehrabi. Mahmoud, a 35-year-old electrical engineer and former employee of Mobarakeh Municipality in Isfahan Province, was accused of "teaching the use of homemade weapons" on social media during the "Women, Life, Freedom" uprising, according to a security agency-affiliated newspaper. He also faced charges of "spreading falsehoods widely" and "creating insecurity." The court found him guilty of "Corruption on Earth" and sentenced him to death.
Mahmoud Mehrabi is a civil activist who had previously exposed financial corruption in the Mobarakeh City Council. This activity led to his arrest in August 2017 and again in June 2018 for "insulting Islamic sanctities." During these detentions, he was harassed by interrogators. After being temporarily released on bail, he was re-arrested in February 2023 by IRGC intelligence officers following the nationwide protests in Iran.
The charges against Mahmoud Mehrabi are based solely on his social media posts. Reports indicate that the court did not prove these messages caused any actual harm or insecurity. Many of the "private plaintiffs" in his case are individuals whose corruption he had exposed.
According to his sister, Hajar Mehrabi, the death sentence was verbally communicated to him. All evidence points to Mahmoud being a victim of a conspiracy by corrupt officials in Mobarakeh and IRGC officers seeking revenge for his activism. This sentence is unjust and inhumane. We demand its revocation in the appellate court.