Maryam Hedavand, arrested during the nationwide protests, was sentenced to death in a rushed court without access to a chosen lawyer; reports indicate the issuance of death sentences for three women in cases related to the protests.
Iran Human Rights Society, Sunday, April 26, 2026- Maryam Hedavand, one of those arrested in the nationwide protests of December 2025–January 2026, has been sentenced to death by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court. This sentence has been issued while reports indicate lack of transparency in the trial process, deprivation of a chosen lawyer, and reliance of the case on confessions obtained under pressure. With the issuance of this sentence, the number of women sentenced to death in cases related to the recent protests has reached three.
Issuance of Death Sentence for Maryam Hedavand
According to published reports, Maryam Hedavand, a political prisoner held in the women’s ward of Evin Prison, has been sentenced to death in recent days by Branch 26 of the Tehran Islamic Revolutionary Court presided over by Judge Iman Afshari. This sentence has been issued in connection with a case that has been considered related to the arson of a mosque in Pakdasht and the death of two people during it; a case that previously also resulted in heavy sentences including death for several other defendants.
Deprivation of Chosen Lawyer and Non-Transparent Trial Process
According to informed sources, Maryam Hedavand has been deprived of the right to have a lawyer during the handling of her case and her court was held without the presence of a chosen lawyer. Also, up to this moment, no precise information has been published about the time of arrest, the manner of forming the case, details of court sessions, and legal documents leading to the issuance of the sentence. This extensive ambiguity has increased concerns about the non-observance of minimum standards of fair trial.
A Rushed Court Outside the Legal Rails
Maryam Hedavand’s case has led to the issuance of a death sentence in circumstances where legal observers describe the handling process of such cases as rushed and outside the usual judicial procedure. Critics say that in many cases related to the protests, courts proceed with high speed and without full examination of evidence to issue heavy sentences; a process that effectively deprives the defendants of the possibility of effective defense.
Confessions Under Torture; the Main Axis of the Cases
Informed sources have emphasized that cases related to the protests of December 2025–January 2026, including Maryam Hedavand’s case, have mainly been formed on the basis of confessions that were obtained under conditions of pressure, security interrogations, and under torture. According to observers, in many of these cases independent and verifiable documents have not been presented and the confessions obtained in detention have become the main basis for issuing the sentence. This very issue has faced the legal validity of these sentences with serious doubts.
Three Women in Line for Execution
With the issuance of the death sentence for Maryam Hedavand, the number of women sentenced to death in cases related to the nationwide protests of December 2025–January 2026 has reached three. Based on available information, Bita Ali-Hemati and another woman whose identity has not yet been announced have also been sentenced to death in similar cases. The issuance of death sentences for three women in the protests cases is considered a sign of unprecedented intensification of judicial dealing with protesting women.
Increase in Executions in Protests Cases
This sentence has been issued in circumstances where in recent weeks the process of execution of death sentences among those arrested in the nationwide protests has noticeably increased. Based on reports, so far at least 8 people from those arrested in the protests of December 2025–January 2026 have been executed; a statistic that has increased concerns about the intensification of the use of the death penalty in political and security cases.
Concern About Repetition of the Security Case-Making Pattern
Human rights observers warn that the many similarities between Maryam Hedavand’s case and other defendants of the protests indicate the existence of a repeatable pattern in the manner of judicial dealing with protesters; a pattern based on security arrests, confessions under pressure, deprivation of a lawyer, and issuance of rushed sentences. In their belief, this process can lead to the issuance and execution of irreparable sentences based on cases whose legal validity is in doubt.
Maryam Hedavand’s Case; Clear Violation of Principles of Fair Trial
The process of handling Maryam Hedavand’s case contains numerous signs of serious violation of fundamental rights and principles of fair trial.
Violated Articles:
- Violation of the Prohibition of Torture – Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Obtaining confession under torture and pressure is an example of inhuman and prohibited behavior.
- Violation of the Right to Fair Trial – Article 10 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Holding a court without a chosen lawyer and in a rushed process corrupts judicial justice.
- Violation of the Principle of Presumption of Innocence – Article 11 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Reliance on forced confessions instead of independent documents violates the principle of presumption of innocence.
- Violation of the Right to Life – Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Issuance of a death sentence in a case with serious legal ambiguities threatens the fundamental right to life.
See also the below articles:
- Nasser Bakrzadeh Faces Imminent Execution Risk After Supreme Court Confirms Third Death Sentence
- Death Sentences Confirmed for Ehsan Hosseini Pour, Matin Mohammadi and Erfan Amiri
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