The judiciary of the Islamic Republic, which had not sentenced any woman to death on political or security charges since at least the mid-2000s, has shifted its pattern since the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests through the Bloody January demonstrations, increasingly sentencing protesting women, as well as civil and political activists, to death.
What do we know about this changing approach within the Islamic Republic’s judicial system regarding capital punishment for women, and about the women who have been sentenced to death or currently face execution in recent months and years?
Leila Abolhassani: A Beautician, Mother, and Woman Who Was Merely Filming
According to information obtained by IranWire, Leila Abolhassani, detained during the January 2026 protests, has been sentenced to death on the charge of Moharebeh (enmity against God). Following an appeal, her case is currently under review by the Supreme Court. Ms. Abolhassani, approximately 43 years old and a mother of two teenagers, has been held in Isfahan’s Dowlatabad Prison since January 8, 2026.
An informed source told IranWire that Abolhassani, now under a death sentence, was arrested on January 8 in Shahin Shahr while taking photos of a fire at an Ofogh Kourosh supermarket branch. According to the source, the judiciary accused her of involvement in setting the store on fire, an allegation that led to her death sentence.
