Rejection of Mehrab Abdullahzadeh's Request for Retrial; Continuation of Legal Ambiguities in the Case of One of the Detainees of the Nationwide Protests

The Supreme Court rejected the request for retrial of Mehrab Abdullahzadeh; the lawyer of the case reported the violation of the Note to Article 478 and the absence of a chosen lawyer during the proceedings.

Iran Human Rights Society, Wednesday, February 18, 2026 – The request for retrial of Mehrab Abdullahzadeh, one of the detainees of the nationwide protests of 2022 who was previously sentenced to death, was rejected by Branch 39 of the Supreme Court. This decision was made while the lawyer of the case has reported numerous formal and substantive defects in the proceedings and non-compliance with the explicit text of the law.

Rejection of Mehrab Abdullahzadeh’s Request for Retrial in the Supreme Court

Seyyed Ad Shirzad, a lawyer, announced that the request for retrial of Mehrab Abdullahzadeh, which was registered in Branch 39 of the Supreme Court on December 20, 2025, was rejected on January 27, 2026. According to him, despite the re-registration of the request for retrial on February 17, 2026, the aforementioned branch has refused to issue an order to stay the execution of the sentence. This issue is raised in a situation where Mehrab Abdullahzadeh’s case faces a death sentence, and any judicial decision is of high importance. The lawyer of the case stated that the failure to issue an order to stay the execution of the sentence is in conflict with the explicit text of the Note to Article 478 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

Reference to the Note to Article 478 and the Legal Objection

Seyyed Ad Shirzad, referring to the Note to Article 478 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, announced that upon receipt of the request for retrial, issuing an order to stay the execution of the sentence is a legal obligation. According to him, refraining from issuing this order is contrary to the clear text of the law. He emphasized that in Mehrab Abdullahzadeh’s case, there are numerous defects in the proceedings that require more careful examination by the higher judicial authority. This lawyer added that the case led to the issuance of a death sentence under the title of “corruption on earth” without examining the charge of murder and without raising a request from the victim’s heirs.

Absence of a Chosen Lawyer in the Interrogation and Trial Stages

One of the main axes of the lawyer’s objection is the absence of a chosen lawyer in the initial stages of the proceedings. According to him, the notification of the charge to Mehrab Abdullahzadeh was carried out without the presence of a lawyer. This happened while access to a lawyer in the preliminary investigation stage is considered one of the fundamental rights of the accused. Also, during the court proceedings, effective defense by the chosen lawyer was not provided in the sensitive stages of the case. This situation has created concerns about compliance with the principles of fair trial in Mahrab Abdullahzadeh’s case.

Formal Defects in the Proceedings

According to the statements of the lawyer of the case, the body of the deceased was buried without autopsy and before obtaining the opinion of the legal medicine. He emphasized that there is no valid legal confession from Mehrab Abdullahzadeh before the judicial authority and this accused has always denied his role in inflicting the fatal blow. Also, according to the statements of other accused persons and witnesses present at the scene, no reference has been made to Mahrab Abdullahzadeh’s role in inflicting fatal blows. Even in the contents of the Supreme Court’s verdict, a central role in the murder has been attributed to other accused persons.

Issue of Legal Age and Jurisdiction of the Court

The lawyer of the case has also pointed to the age of some of the accused at the time of the incident. According to him, some of the accused were under the legal age and the special Criminal Court for Adolescents had jurisdiction to hear the case. However, this objection was not taken into consideration. Mehrab Abdullahzadeh was previously tried by Branch 2 of the Urmia Revolutionary Court on the charge of “corruption on earth” through “participation in intentional murder” of a Basij member and was sentenced to death in November of last year. He is from Oshnavieh and was arrested during the 2022 protests and was released on bail for some time later. In another part of his case, he was sentenced to 9 months imprisonment on the charge of “gathering and collusion” and ultimately was arrested and transferred to Urmia prison.

Human Rights Violations in Mehrab Abdullahzadeh’s Case

Mehrab Abdullahzadeh’s case has been accompanied by numerous violations of fundamental principles of fair trial from a legal perspective.

Violation of the Right to a Fair Trial – Article 10 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Trial without providing conditions for effective defense.
Violation of the Right to Access to a Lawyer – Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights: Notification of the charge without the presence of a chosen lawyer.
Violation of the Presumption of Innocence – Article 11 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Issuance of a heavy sentence without a valid legal confession.
Violation of the Right to Effective Examination of Evidence – Standards of Fair Trial: Burial of the body without autopsy and obtaining the opinion of legal medicine.
Violation of the Explicit Text of Domestic Law – Note to Article 478 of the Code of Criminal Procedure: Refusal to issue an order to stay the execution of the sentence after registration of the retrial request.

The rejection of Mehrab Abdullahzadeh’s request for retrial has occurred while the lawyer of the case emphasizes the existence of serious defects in the trial process. This case is now in a situation where the continuation of the execution of the sentence, without re-examination of the raised objections, can create more legal questions about the trial process.

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