Dhabihu'llah Mahrami (1946 – 15 December 2005) (also Zabihullah Mahrami) was an Iranian Baháʼí who was charged with apostasy from Islam and jailed in Iran.^[1] After 10 years in prison he was found dead in his cell.^[2]

Mahrami was an Iranian civil servant who lost his job after the government found that he was a Baháʼí.^[3] Adherents of the Baháʼí Faith are persecuted in the Islamic Republic and are denied employment.^[4] On August 16, 1995, Mr. Mahrami was called before the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Yazd, and was questioned about his adherence to the Baháʼí Faith.^[5] During the next few months the court met with Mr. Mahrami multiple times and tried to persuade him to renounce his beliefs.^[5] Upon his repeated refusal, Mr. Mahrami was charged with apostasy, and on January 2, 1996 was sentenced to death.^[5] His properties and assets were also confiscated.^[5]

Although Mahrami was a lifelong Baháʼí, the apostasy charge apparently came about because a sympathetic Muslim colleague, in an effort to prevent Mr. Mahrami from losing his job, stated that Mr. Mahrami had converted to Islam.^[3]

Mahrami's lawyer appealed to the Supreme Court of Iran; on January 28, 1997 the Supreme Court of Iran confirmed the death sentence and the news was conveyed orally to his relatives.^[5] In March 2000, following an international outcry, Mr. Mahrami's sentence was commuted to life in prison.^[1][2] Since that time until his death, Mr. Mahrami had been in a government prison in Yazd and was forced to perform arduous physical labour and had received death threats.^[1][2] After 10 years in prison he was found dead in his cell.^[2] The government informed his family that he had died of a heart attack, but Mr. Mahrami was reported to have been in good health shortly before his death.^[2]

After his death, organizations, including Amnesty International and the United States government, called on Iran to order a thorough investigation into his death and allow freedom of religion for all Iranians.^[1][2]