Condemnation of Death Sentence for Sharifeh Mohammadi Continues Among Organizations in Iran

Following the condemnation of the death sentence for Sharifeh Mohammadi, a labor activist imprisoned in Rasht, accused of 'baghi' (rebellion), several labor and retirees' organizations issued a joint statement on Sunday, July 8, describing it as a 'medieval sentence of rebellion and execution and a ruling against the great revolution of women, life, freedom.' These organizations pointed out that the issuance of the death sentence for Sharifeh Mohammadi is 'an attack and assault by the rulers against women, retirees, workers, and all protesting people.' The 'Campaign to Defend Sharifeh Mohammadi' announced on July 5 that Sharifeh Mohammadi, a labor activist imprisoned in Lakan prison in Rasht, has been sentenced to death by the Islamic Revolutionary Court of this city in 'a medieval and criminal ruling.' The campaign criticized the 'fabricated scenario' of the Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic, emphasizing that there is 'no confession or admission' in Sharifeh Mohammadi's case, despite 'severe physical and psychological pressures,' and that intelligence and security forces have accused her of 'membership in the armed Komala group' without any evidence and inferred 'armed rebellion against the Islamic government (baghi).' The court for Sharifeh Mohammadi was held on June 8 in the first branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Rasht. The Kermanshah Electrical and Metal Association, the Iranian Retirees Council, the Council for Organizing Protests of Contract Oil Workers, the Council for Organizing Protests of Informal Oil Workers (Third Parties), the Coordination Council of Nurses' Protests, the Voice of Iranian Women, and the Plaintiffs' Institution wrote in their statement: 'A government that has failed and remained powerless against the fighting and proud women of the Women, Life, Freedom revolution in the streets, and whose colorful plans and military forces have failed in the streets, sees the solution in continuing repression and issuing medieval sentences.' The signatories added: 'A government that has been humiliated in the face of street protests by retirees, who are the voice of the entire society; a government that has been desperate and powerless against the unity and power of striking workers in oil and petrochemical centers; a government whose legitimacy has been jeopardized in the face of the unity and solidarity of the people in their ridiculous elections, seeks to find an opportunity to push back women, workers, and protesting people against crime, murder, poverty, and discrimination by fabricating scenarios and issuing a death sentence for a woman who has not tolerated discrimination and inequality and has defended workers' rights.' According to this statement, 'Iranian society, especially after the start of protests in various ways, has said no to the entirety of the repressive relations and is not willing to endure the existing miserable situation; such a society does not want to witness the increasingly naked repression of the government against women and all sectors of society.' The signatory organizations emphasized that 'the increasing statistics of death sentences mean the continuation of the government's position against the people's revolution and wrote: the people, before and after the Mahsa revolution, have opposed any kind of murder and medieval government sentences and have raised their voices against executions under any title even from within prisons.' They pointed out that currently 'the life of Sharifeh Mohammadi, for whom a death sentence has been issued, and the lives of Vareesh Moradi, Pakhshan Azizi, and Nasim Gholami Simiyari, who are facing baghi sentences, are in danger,' emphasizing: 'We women, workers, retirees, students, teachers, plaintiffs, nurses, and others who consider organization and party formation a human right, see unity and solidarity as our only weapon in the fight against the prevailing oppression and injustice.' A group of social activists in Gilan also condemned the issuance of the death sentence for Sharifeh Mohammadi, writing: 'Sharifeh, who is one of the well-known labor and civil activists in Gilan, has been accused of armed action against the government and sentenced to death while having been imprisoned for more than 7 months. She has spent a significant part of this period in solitary confinement and has been severely beaten at least twice to confess against herself.' They pointed out that previously, women’s rights activists and other social activists in Gilan have been brutally arrested and interrogated and sentenced to long-term imprisonment, with 10 teachers from Gilan receiving a total of 10 years in prison sentences, and many Gilan citizens arrested and unjustly sent to Lakan prison. According to this statement, the level of violence used in the detention of these activists or the sentences issued against them indicates that 'the government has drawn its sword against civil activists in Gilan, who are seeking to improve the conditions of various sectors of society in the most civil manner possible.' Masih Alinejad: The international community should not turn a blind eye to this human rights violation amidst political scenes. Previously, many labor, professional, and human rights organizations, along with political, civil, and human rights figures, have condemned the accusation of baghi against Sharifeh Mohammadi and the issuance of a death sentence for her.