Urgent Call to Halt the Execution of Mohammad Ghobadloo
Mohammad Ghobadloo, a 22-year-old Iranian protester with a long-term mental disability, faces the imminent threat of execution for his alleged role in the 2022 and 2023 nationwide demonstrations. These protests, sparked by the death of Mahsa Jina Amini in police custody, grew into one of the largest waves of dissent in the Islamic Republic’s recent history. Security forces responded with widespread arrests, mass trials, and a surge in death sentences intended to deter further mobilization.
Ghobadloo was accused of deliberately running over a police officer, Farid Karampour, during a demonstration. According to Amnesty International, the proceedings against him were marred by serious violations of international fair trial standards. He was denied access to an independent lawyer, subjected to severe physical abuse, and deprived of the bipolar medication essential to his treatment. Amnesty concluded that these measures were used to force a confession that he intentionally ran over Officer Karampour in order to cause death.
Independent legal advocates have also questioned the credibility of the state’s account. The Iranian legal collective Dadban has reported that the official coroner’s report does not support the claim that Karampour’s death was caused by a vehicle collision. Instead, it attributes the fatal head injuries to a blunt object. Several police commanders have acknowledged the presence of a conflict on the day of Karampour’s funeral, further undermining the prosecution’s narrative. Despite these inconsistencies, the case prosecutor continues to assert that the officer was killed by a car.
Ghobadloo’s case has become a rallying point for international concern. He has been granted political sponsorship by elected officials across multiple countries, including German Member of Parliament Clara Anne Bünge, French senators Nathalie Goulet and Raquel Garrido, New Zealand parliamentarian Marama Davidson, and Canadian Member of Parliament John Aldag. Such sponsorships aim to intensify diplomatic pressure on the Iranian authorities and to mobilize international institutions to intervene.
His prosecution illustrates the broader pattern of how Iran’s Revolutionary Courts handle politically sensitive cases. Human rights organisations have repeatedly documented that these courts conduct closed proceedings, rely on coerced confessions, and routinely impose capital punishment after trials that fail to meet even minimal standards of impartiality. These practices contravene Iran’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees the right to life and the right to a fair trial.
For advocates and legal experts, Ghobadloo’s situation is emblematic of two intertwined crises: the weaponisation of the death penalty as a tool to suppress public dissent, and the particular vulnerability of individuals with mental disabilities within Iran’s judicial system. International human rights bodies continue to call for an immediate stay of execution and for an independent review of his case, urging Iran to uphold the basic protections it is bound to respect under international law.
