Yahoo – She Warned Followers Her Online Activism Could Kill Her, Now Iran Has Sentenced Her to Death by Hanging
Iranian blogger Marzieh “Sevda” Ebrahimi Shamsabadi apparently knew her online activites could put her life in danger. Before her arrest, the 32-year-old posted a stark message to her roughly 10,000 Instagram followers: “If one day I leave this world, just know one thing, I chose the path I believed in.”
She made that post on February 23, appearing against a black background alongside images of a white dove and red rose. It would be the final post on her account before her detention.
Now, months later, incarceration would be the least of the influencer’s problems. Ebrahimi Shamsabadi is reportedly facing execution.
According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), the Bandar Abbas Revolutionary Court sentenced her to death for “corruption on earth.” It’s a serious capital offense under Iranian law. It doesn’t help that it is a broad, vaguely defined charge derived from Islamic jurisprudence rooted in Quranic concepts of causing widespread disorder or harm that threatens social, moral, or political order.
Iran International reported that the ruling was issued by Judge Khajeh-Hassani and that her lawyer was notified on August 23.
The influencer engaged in what Iranian authorities apparently considered too treasonous. For example, in the aftermath of the much-publicized country-wide protests (reports cite estimates of high casualties), she wrote something to the effect of:
“We saw how much they killed us… So many crimes and killings have happened that there are a lot of photos, videos, and documents of it, and a lot of eyewitnesses. More than war, the blood of our mothers and fathers smells of revenge.”
Iranian authorities consider such posts as insults against the person of the supreme leader. Under Article 286 of Iran’s Islamic Penal Code (2013 version), a person commits this so-called “Corruption on earth” (Persian: efsad-e fel-arz or mofsed-e-filarz / افساد فی الارض) crime if they engage in certain acts “on an extensive level”, including crimes against the physical integrity of people, crimes against domestic or external security, spreading lies/falsehoods, etc.
Iranian revolutionary courts treat “corruption on earth” as a flexible, catch-all offense, with execution by hanging as the punishment. It is distinct from (but often overlaps with) related charges like moharebeh (“waging war against God,” which historically involved armed threats to public security) and baghy (armed rebellion).
International human rights groups, the U.S. State Department, and others describe it as an extremely broad and vague charge frequently applied to political dissent, activism, journalism, online criticism of the government or Supreme Leader, alleged propaganda against the state, or activities deemed to undermine the Islamic Republic. It has been used against protesters, journalists, social media users, and others for non-violent speech or online activity. Trials in Revolutionary Courts often lack due process by international standards.
The allegations against Ebrahimi Shamsabadi go well beyond an accusation of insulting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
HRANA says prosecutors accused her of media and propaganda activity against national security, intelligence, and security activity on behalf of “hostile governments,” and photographing a military site.
One allegation reportedly revolves around a photograph she took from a distance of a location struck by a missile. Authorities alleged that she sent the image to a Persian-language media organization operating outside Iran.
Her case also carries an especially grim human dimension. Rights groups say she was held in solitary confinement for about 20 days and subjected to intense pressure during questioning. She has multiple sclerosis, which she has reportedly lived with for around six years, as well as psoriasis, narcolepsy, and gastric colic. A source told HRANA that her physical condition has deteriorated in prison.
The reported punishment does not end with the death sentence. Authorities have also ordered the confiscation of her property and barred her from government and public service. Reports indicate she faces additional prison terms of several years.
One Case in a Widening Death-Penalty Crackdown
Ebrahimi Shamsabadi is now among at least eight women facing death sentences in Iran, according to HRANA, with several cases linked to political dissent and the January 2026 protests. Iran Human Rights says at least 29 people arrested in connection with the January protests had been executed by August 23.
The Abdorrahman Boroumand Center reported 950 executions in Iran since the beginning of 2026 by late August, including at least 20 women and 30 protesters. Against that backdrop, Shamsabadi’s case has become another test of how far Iranian authorities are prepared to go in punishing dissent, journalism, and online expression.
For a woman who once told her followers she had chosen the path she believed in, the consequences could now be irreversible.