Varesheh Moradi sentenced to death for a second time by Tehran court

The Tehran Revolutionary Court Branch 15 has issued a second death sentence against Varesheh Moradi (Mirzaei), a Kurdish political prisoner currently held in Evin Prison. The new ruling, communicated to her lawyers on Wednesday, October 14, charges her with ‘membership in an armed rebel group’ (baghi).

Defense lawyers, including Amir Sajjadi and Keyvan Azizi, claim the court issued this new sentence without conducting the additional investigations previously ordered by the Supreme Court. They noted that the Supreme Court had overturned a prior death sentence due to ‘deficiencies in investigation’ and failure to follow legal procedures. The defense argues that the court merely changed the legal label of the charge to maintain the death penalty sentence.

Lawyers assert there is no sufficient evidence to link Moradi to armed operations against the Iranian government, stating her activities were related to fighting ISIS in northern Syria. The defense team has 20 days to file an appeal with the Supreme Court. Moradi was originally arrested near Sanandaj in July 2023 and has previously reported experiencing physical and psychological torture during her detention.