Australian Council of Trade Unions: Death Sentence for Sharifeh Mohammadi is Continued Suppression of Labor Activists in Iran

The Australian Council of Trade Unions, in a letter to the Iranian ambassador in the country, protested the issuance of a death sentence for Sharifeh Mohammadi, a labor activist imprisoned in Lakan Prison in Rasht, calling it "a continuation of the suppression of trade unions and labor activists in Iran." The letter emphasized that Ms. Mohammadi's activities were union-based and peaceful, stating that she was a member of an independent and legal labor organization called the Coordination Committee to Help Establish Labor Organizations about a decade ago. It described the death sentence as "cruel and inhumane," issued "without adherence to legal processes and fair trial standards." The Australian Council of Trade Unions condemned the "suppression of protests by independent labor organizations and the violation of the fundamental rights of workers and human rights" and urged the Iranian government to immediately revoke Sharifeh Mohammadi's death sentence, release her and other imprisoned labor rights activists, human rights defenders, and political prisoners, end the suppression of labor and professional unions, and cease the harassment of labor activists and human rights defenders in Iran. The letter also called for the guarantee of the activities of labor activists and human rights defenders in Iran without restrictions and fear of government retaliation, stressing the need to abolish the death penalty. Sharifeh Mohammadi was arrested in December of last year and sentenced to death on July 4 by the Revolutionary Court of Rasht on charges of "baghi" (rebellion). This sentence was based on accusations from the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence regarding Ms. Mohammadi's membership in "Komala," which has been vehemently denied by Ms. Mohammadi, her husband, Siros Fathi, and Komala. Additionally, the Coordination Committee to Help Establish Labor Organizations, of which Sharifeh Mohammadi was a member in the 1980s, has rejected the accusations against her. Reports indicate that she has been tortured, and government agents have accused her of "membership in the armed Komala group" without any evidence. This organization has also denied this claim. Human rights, labor, and professional organizations in Iran, as well as international human rights organizations and labor unions, along with several Iranian activists, have condemned the death sentence for Ms. Mohammadi. Protests by retired social security workers in Shush have called for her release, and demonstrations against death sentences have occurred on bridges in the U.S., displaying images and slogans about prisoners held by the Iranian government. Statements from five civil and professional organizations have called for the cancellation of inhumane sentences against Sharifeh Mohammadi and Pakhshan Azizi, and over 470 cultural, social, and political activists have demanded the cessation of the death penalty apparatus.