Condemnation of the Death Sentence for Sharifeh Mohammadi; Teachers' Guild: The Government is Trying to Prevent Collective Organization

Following the condemnation of the death sentence for Sharifeh Mohammadi, a imprisoned labor activist, in Iran and around the world, the Iranian Teachers' Guild (Tehran) issued a statement on Saturday, July 23, calling the ruling from the Revolutionary Court of Rasht "an effort by the government to instill fear in society to prevent any attempts at collective organization." This teachers' union stated that condemning the death sentence for Ms. Mohammadi was based on "its mission to defend the rights of social activists in this land and to express solidarity with other organizations and civil and labor unions" and described the ruling as "inhumane and unjust." In recent days, human rights activists and organizations, labor groups, and unions in Iran, as well as human rights organizations and labor unions worldwide, alongside several Iranian activists such as Masih Alinejad and Hamid Ismailioun, have condemned the issuance of the death sentence for Ms. Mohammadi. Additionally, labor unions in France and Denmark have called for the cancellation of Sharifeh Mohammadi's death sentence and her immediate release. Protests by retirees in several cities in Iran and gatherings of Iranian protesters in Europe and Canada have emphasized the necessity of revoking the death sentence for this labor activist and securing her freedom. Widespread protests against the issuance of the death sentence for Ms. Mohammadi have also taken place on social media. In this context, Ismail Abdi, a teachers' union activist who has also been arrested and imprisoned on security charges, wrote on the social media platform "X": "Almost all independent civil activists, intellectuals, writers, unions, and popular groups have condemned the fabricated case and the unjust death sentence against Sharifeh Mohammadi. This widespread support is a sign of the health of this labor activist. She must be released immediately and unconditionally." The Iranian Teachers' Guild (Tehran) emphasized that "organization and activity in pursuit of livelihood and public demands are fundamental human rights, as emphasized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights" and added: "In addition, the conventions of the International Labor Organization, which the Islamic Republic of Iran has also signed, affirm this fundamental right." This guild assessed Sharifeh Mohammadi as an activist whose "activities have been in line with the realization of this fundamental right; unless proven otherwise in a fair judicial process with a public court and the presence of a jury and lawyers for the accused." The teachers' union pointed out the security and judicial crackdowns on union activists over the past four decades and added: "Despite the issuance of hundreds of years of judicial sentences for teachers, workers, retirees, and students, the demands of social movements have never ceased." The Iranian Teachers' Guild (Tehran) stated: "The issuance of a death sentence for this labor activist cannot disrupt the determination of these movements in pursuing social demands, and this can be seen in the comprehensive solidarity of all civil, political, and union activists, including teachers, workers, women's rights advocates, retirees, and students in condemning this inhumane ruling." The statement also emphasized that "the Woman, Life, Freedom movement, as one of the most important movements in contemporary Iranian history, has achieved significant outcomes, one of which is the leadership of women and girls in this land in demanding from the government." It noted that "the fact that the government, despite all its efforts and mobilization of social, police, and security forces, has still been unable to stop the Iranian women's movement in pursuing the demand for voluntary hijab is a sign of the increasing power of Iranian women and girls in pursuing their public demands." The Iranian Teachers' Guild (Tehran) pointed out that "the increase in security and judicial crackdowns on active women in various social fields in recent months can be understood and analyzed from this perspective" and wrote: "Heavy sentences for women's rights activists in Gilan, the arrest of Atefeh Rangriz, a women's rights activist in Semnan, and the issuance of a death sentence for Sharifeh Mohammadi are among these security and judicial crackdowns." The Iranian Teachers' Guild (Tehran) also stated: "The arrest of union, civil, and political activists and the issuance of heavy judicial sentences, which have intensified after the Mahsa/Jina movement, is a symbol of the increasing gap between the people and the government that has reached its peak in recent years" and added: "The cancellation of death sentences for political and civil activists, especially the death sentence for Sharifeh Mohammadi, and the freedom of all labor, union, and political activists and women's rights advocates could be an initial step by the government to repair this gap. However, there is no clear prospect of this happening." The teachers' union emphasized that as a civil institution, it is committed to demanding this from the government and stated: "In pursuing the legitimate demands of the people of Iran, we will always stand by the demanding movements, as we believe this path is the safest and most correct path for the process of democratization in Iran." Sharifeh Mohammadi, who had been a member of the "Coordination Committee to Help Establish Labor Organizations" over a decade ago, was arrested in December of last year and sentenced to death on July 14 by the Revolutionary Court of Rasht on charges of "rebellion." This sentence was issued based on the Ministry of Intelligence's accusation of Sharifeh Mohammadi's membership in "Komeleh," while this accusation has been strongly denied by Ms. Mohammadi, her husband, Siros Fathi, and Komeleh. Additionally, the Coordination Committee to Help Establish Labor Organizations, of which Sharifeh Mohammadi was a member in the 1980s, has rejected the charges against her. According to reports, she has been tortured, and government agents have accused her of "membership in the armed Komeleh group" without any evidence or documentation.