Elham Choubdar

Elham Choubdar is from Urmia. She was arrested along with LGBT activist Sareh Mansouri (Zahra Sedighi Hamedani) and was sentenced to death by the revolutionary court of Urmia on the charge of corruption on earth. Her sexual identity was the basis for the sentence.

• <coverage-outsourcing id='41794'> <reference source='https://6rang.org/73231/'> According to 6Rang, Elham Choubdar was arrested a month after the arrest of Sareh on the charge of promoting corruption and depravity. She had previously participated in one of the Instagram lives of Sareh and had talked about her relationships. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='41755'> <reference source='https://www.aparat.com/v/lrHby'> IRGC's Tasnim News Agency released a video in which Sareh was accused of “trafficking 1000 Iranian girls and women to Erbil, promoting homosexuality, gambling, scam, and normalizing illegitimate sexual relations and promoting it online." There are images of Elham Choubdar in parts of the report which show she was friends with Sareh. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='41761'> <reference source='https://6rang.org/72908/'> 6Rang wrote that after the arrest of Sareh some of her friends were arrested and forced to make confessions against Sareh and themselves in front of the camera. According to 6Rang, these individuals were promised that they would be released, and the videos will not be publicized. Iran International later reported that Elham Choobdar, Soheila Ashrafi, and Ali Reza Farjadikia are in the same case as Sareh. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='41756'> <reference source='https://bit.ly/3D1i0UH'> She was sentenced to death. Hengaw reported that Zahra Sedighi Hamedani (Sareh Mansouri), and Elham Choubdar were sentenced to death by the revolutionary court of Urmia on the charge of spreading corruption on earth through promoting homosexuality. According to Hengaw, they received the sentence while in prison. Soheila Ashrafi is awaiting her ruling in this case. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='41772'> <reference source='https://twitter.com/MizanNewsAgency/status/1566706588919939073'> Mizan News Agency, the organ of the judiciary confirmed the death sentences of Zahra Sedighi Hamedani (Sareh Mansouri) and Elham Choobdar are “members of a human trafficking group that smuggles young girls and women” and their charge is spreading corruption on earth. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='41758'> <reference source='https://t.me/Amnesty_International/2192'> Amnesty International strongly condemned the death sentences of Zahra Sedighi Hamedani and Elham Choobdar for “spreading corruption on earth” and asked Iranian authorities to reverse the sentences immediately and release the two. According to Amnesty International, the sentences were based on discriminatory conjecture about the sexuality of the two women, and in the case of Zahra Seighi Hamedani (Sareh Mansouri), it was also peaceful activism in defense of the rights of the LGBT community. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='42014'> <reference source='https://bit.ly/3BIQI4E'> DW wrote that the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement expressing regret over the death sentences of Sareh Mansouri and Elham Choobdar and emphasized France’s support for the rights of homosexuals and the country’s global opposition to the death sentence. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='42013'> <reference source='https://twitter.com/BTahzibLie/status/1567871428036288513?s=20&t=GL6iZgBZfz40DBDxfRqrMw'> The Dutch special representative on human rights affairs released a statement expressing EU members’ concern about the death sentences of Zahra Sedighi Hamedani (Sareh) and Elham Choobdar. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='42009'> <reference source='https://ir.voanews.com/a/iran-execution-death-penalty-lgbtq-activists-human-rights/6739321.html'> The spokesperson for UN Human Rights Office said these death sentences for Zahra Sedighi Hamedani (Sareh) and Elham Choobdar are deeply concerning. She went on to say that the two were sentenced to death in an unfair trial without due process on the vague charge of spreading corruption on earth. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='41996'> <reference source='https://bit.ly/3eVXZVC'> The official organ of the judiciary, Mizan, published a report claiming Sareh Mansouri, Elham Choobdar, Sohaila Motezaei, and Alireza Farjadkia, are leaders of a “human trafficking ring” who are accused of “deceiving and smuggling women and young girls to a neighboring country with the promise of education and employment”. In this report, all these individuals are accused of “widespread promotion of depravity and organized entity for sale of Iranian women”. According to the report’s claims, Soheila Mortezaei is the ringleader, guiding and supporting this organized corruption, and she has been working in a hair salon and keeping 50 percent of the profit from selling the girls. Ali Reza Farajdkia is also a defendant in this case. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>
• <coverage-outsourcing id='49543'> <reference source='https://www.hra-news.org/2023/hranews/a-40250/'> She was released on bail. HRANA reported that the death sentences of Elham Choubdar and Zahra Sedighi Hamedani were overturned in January and Ms. Sedighi is still in prison because she hasn't been able to put up her bail. </reference> </coverage-outsourcing>