An Iranian blogger has reportedly been sentenced to death after being accused, among other things, of “insulting” the country’s Supreme Leader, having previously posted a chilling final message on her Instagram account.
Marzieh “Sevda” Ebrahimi Shamsabandi is being held in a prison in Bandar Abbas, following her arrest earlier this year.
The Iranian blogger, who is reportedly 33 years old, was sentenced by the Third Branch of the Revolutionary Court of Bandar Abbas, according to information obtained by the anti-government Iran International.
Before her arrest, she had left a final message — against a black background and accompanied by images of a white dove and a red rose — for her approximately 10,000 Instagram followers. “If one day I leave this world, just know one thing – I chose the path I believed in,” she wrote.
According to reports, the caption accompanying the post also appeared to suggest that she was prepared even to die for her opposition to the Iranian authorities.
The Human Rights Activists News Agency, known as HRANA, reported that Ebrahimi Shamsabandi was sentenced to death for “corruption on earth”.
Her case is believed to involve charges alleging that she insulted the Supreme Leader and engaged in communications and propaganda activities against national security. She was also accused of carrying out intelligence and security activities on behalf of “hostile governments”.
Another charge concerned a photograph she allegedly took from a distance at a site that had been hit by a missile. The authorities claimed that she sent the image to a Persian-language news outlet based outside Iran.
Before the death sentence, Ebrahimi Shamsabandi had reportedly also been sentenced to prison terms ranging from two to five years.
The court also ordered the confiscation of her property and banned her from accessing certain state and public services.
Her lawyer was informed of the death sentence on 23 August, according to Iran International.
The final post on her Instagram account was published on 23 February and was her last post before her arrest. Ebrahimi Shamsabandi was reportedly held in solitary confinement for 20 days and subjected to intense pressure during interrogations.
According to the same information, she was born in Arak, grew up in Tehran and later lived in Bandar Abbas. It has also been reported that she has suffered from multiple sclerosis for around six years.
A source familiar with her health told HRANA that her condition has deteriorated in prison, causing concern because of the multiple health problems she is facing.
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