Zahra Ebadi: A Social Worker for Prisoners

On June 23, 2025, Israel bombed Evin Prison. At noon, Zahra was at her desk signing documents while her five-year-old son, Mehrad, played nearby — when the missiles struck. After the first explosion, she ran toward her son. But before she could reach him, a second missile hit. The blast buried him under the rubble, and it took three days for his lifeless body to be found.

Zahra Ebadi, a mother of one, had spent her entire professional life as a prison social worker at Evin Prison. For twenty years, she supported prisoners with empathy and care. Later, she was transferred to the correspondence unit, which handled prison letters and requests related to medical visits, transfers, or court matters.

She was known for her deep concern for prisoners and their families. Her colleagues say she often went above and beyond the call of duty, personally following up on their cases with heart and persistence. She was simply doing her job — trying to untangle lives and ease hardship — when the bombs fell and brutally ended hers, her son’s, and those of her colleagues.