Italian General Confederation of Labour: EU Must Mobilize to Abolish Sharifeh Mohammadi's Death Sentence

The Italian General Confederation of Labour has called for the abolition of the death sentence and the release of Sharifeh Mohammadi, a labor activist in Iran, urging the Italian government and EU institutions to mobilize in this direction and demand the Islamic Republic to revoke her conviction and death sentence. This Italian labor confederation, with over 5 million members, assessed the issuance of the death sentence for Ms. Mohammadi as "part of a systematic strategy by security institutions to spread terror among social movements and marginalize them in the future political developments of Iran." The Italian General Confederation of Labour, referring to the "struggles of Iranian women and men in the 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement," considered it their will "to initiate profound and fundamental changes" in Iran and emphasized that "the death sentence for a labor and civil activist is a sign of weakness and division within the Islamic Republic, which shows clear signs of instability." The statement indicated that the goal of the Islamic Republic is "to create fear and terror in civil society and the political opposition to force people into obedience through coercion and violence in all forms." The Italian General Confederation of Labour called for the "immediate and unconditional abolition of Sharifeh Mohammadi's death sentence and other political prisoners and protesters in popular demonstrations" and added, "The struggle for the abolition of this sentence and the freedom of Sharifeh Mohammadi and other political, labor, and civil prisoners is a crucial and determining issue in the struggle of Iranian workers for change and achieving a free, just, and prosperous society." In another part of its statement, the Italian General Confederation of Labour called for "international mobilization for the immediate abolition of the death sentence and the freedom of Sharifeh Mohammadi" and announced that "in the coming months, we will mobilize in international organizations to amplify the voice of the 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement and show our solidarity with those who, despite the risk of death in Iran, fight for democracy, labor, and humanity." So far, a large number of activists, labor organizations, and domestic and international human rights institutions have called for the abolition of Ms. Mohammadi's death sentence, describing it as "medieval" and "criminal." In this context, Parvin Mohammadi, a board member of the Free Workers Union of Iran, wrote on the social network "X" on Thursday, July 21, that Sharifeh Mohammadi's death sentence "is a sentence to instill fear among labor and political activists and to compel the Iranian working class to submit to the ruling barbarism." Sharifeh Mohammadi, who was 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 "baghy" (rebellion). This sentence was issued based on accusations from the Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic regarding Sharifeh Mohammadi's alleged 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 charges against her. According to reports, she has been tortured, and government agents have accused her of "membership in the armed Komala group" without any evidence. In related news, a group of Iranians protested against Sharifeh Mohammadi's death sentence in Vancouver on Sunday. Retirees in Tehran stated, "Sharifeh Mohammadi must be freed," while retirees in Shush condemned her death sentence. Three imprisoned members of the Syndicate of Workers of the Bus Company described the death sentence for Sharifeh Mohammadi as "insane." Fifteen religious reformists protested against Sharifeh Mohammadi's death sentence, urging freedom-seekers and justice-seekers not to remain silent in the face of this injustice. Sixteen political prisoners expressed their support for Sharifeh Mohammadi, stating that the government aims to silence dissent. Two human rights organizations condemned the death sentence for Sharifeh Mohammadi and called for international intervention. The condemnation of the issuance of the death sentence for Sharifeh Mohammadi continues among organizations in Iran, and Amnesty International has called for the abolition of the death sentence and the immediate release of Sharifeh Mohammadi.