US President Donald Trump has urged Iran to halt the reported execution of eight women, but available information about their identities and alleged crimes remains fragmented and largely unverified.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he would “greatly appreciate the release of these women” and urged Iranian leaders to “do them no harm,” framing the move as a potential goodwill gesture ahead of negotiations.
The eight women identified are Bita Hemmati, Diana Taherabadi, Mahboubeh Shabani, Ensieh Nejati, Ghazal Ghalandari, Golnaz Naraghi, Venus Hossein Nejad, and Panah Movahedi.
According to reports, Hemmati was arrested during anti-regime demonstrations in January and sentenced to death, while Taherabadi is a minor who was detained in January for alleged involvement in protests.
Shabani was arrested in February and is accused of assisting injured protesters, and Nejati was sentenced to death in early 2025 for her work as a Kurdish women’s rights activist.
The charges against the women are largely unverified, with some reports claiming they were accused of participating in or organising anti-regime protests, while others were forced into televised confessions.
The cases are being viewed in the context of a crackdown following anti-government protests in Iran earlier this year, with rights groups alleging that authorities conducted rushed or unfair trials for those accused of defying the regime.
