Labor Organizations Condemn Reinstatement of Death Sentence Against Sharifeh Mohammadi

Several labor and teacher organizations condemned the reinstatement of the death sentence against Sharifeh Mohammadi, a labor activist imprisoned in Lakan prison in Rasht, on Thursday, February 25, and called for the immediate cancellation of this sentence. The Coordination Committee for the Establishment of Labor Organizations announced that "it is an open, independent, and legal organization," emphasizing that "membership and activity in it is not a crime," and demanded her freedom and that of other imprisoned individuals. This labor organization stated: "Sharifeh Mohammadi, Pakhshan Aziz, and Varisheh Moradi, along with dozens of other precious lives, are on death row" and added: "This is only part of a widespread repression targeting the lives of fighting individuals and is used as a tool to silence the voice of freedom-seeking." The Free Union of Iranian Workers emphasized the renewed "baseless accusations" against Ms. Mohammadi in court, stating: "Sharifeh Mohammadi is a former member of the Coordination Committee for the Establishment of Labor Organizations, who has committed no crime other than defending the human rights of workers." The labor organization added: "The issuance of inhumane death sentences against labor and civil activists and protesting youth has intensified in recent months while the economic and social fabric of the country is collapsing." In the continuation of the Free Union of Iranian Workers' statement, it was mentioned: "The government, without taking any responsibility" for this collapse, "only considers the intensification of repression and instilling fear in society through the issuance of death sentences and other heavy judicial sentences against protesting youth and freedom-seeking women and men like Sharifeh Mohammadi and all honorable individuals who protest against the unbearable existing situation and demand fundamental changes in the destructive policies governing the country as its duty." The Syndicate of Workers of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company also emphasized: "Membership and activity in the Coordination Committee for the Establishment of Labor Organizations is not a crime." The Council for Coordinating the Trade Unions of Iranian Educators also announced on its Telegram channel that "fighting women like Sharifeh Mohammadi, Pakhshan Aziz, and Varisheh Moradi" and dozens of other prisoners are at risk of execution, considering it part of a widespread repression used as a tool to silence the voice of freedom-seeking. Lawyers for Sharifeh Mohammadi reported on Thursday the reinstatement of the death sentence against this labor activist during the retrial stage. This death sentence had previously been overturned by the Supreme Court, and her case had been referred to an equivalent branch. The page "Campaign to Defend Sharifeh Mohammadi," managed by members of Sharifeh Mohammadi's family, stated on Thursday, February 25, that Mohammad Ali Darvishgheytar, the head of the second branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Rasht, who confirmed this sentence, is the son of the judge of the first branch, Ahmad Darvishgheytar, who issued the previous sentence. The Campaign to Defend Sharifeh Mohammadi writes: "The baseless accusation attributed to Sharifeh is membership in Komala through membership in the Coordination Committee, while this committee is an independent labor organization and has no political affiliations." This campaign described the issuance of death sentences against female activists as "an example of a war against women and revenge against labor and social activists." On December 29, the Campaign to Defend Sharifeh Mohammadi reported the formation of a session to review her case in the second branch of the Revolutionary Court in Rasht and wrote that despite the lawyers' request for Ms. Mohammadi to attend the court, part of the session was held online and remotely, and she answered several questions from the judges. Sharifeh Mohammadi was arrested in December 2023 and on July 14 of this year was sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court in Rasht on charges of "rebellion" through membership in one of the opposition groups. This accusation has been rejected by her, her husband, her family, and also by the Komala Party. Additionally, members of the Coordination Committee for the Establishment of Labor Organizations have denied the accusation of connection with this party. Previously, the issuance of the death sentence against Ms. Mohammadi faced widespread protests from labor unions worldwide. A gathering of civil activists and families of prisoners sentenced to death took place in front of Evin prison in support of the "No to Execution Tuesdays" campaign in front of Saghez prison, a video of Pakhshan Aziz, a civil activist sentenced to death, singing, and Tomaj Salehi stated: "Every day you are imprisoned is a day of your life executed." The protest of Masoud Bidarigh, a Gilani boxer, against the death sentence of Manoochehr Falahi, dozens of organizations and civil activists: political prisoners in Iran "die in silence," a warning from the "No to Execution Tuesdays" campaign about the danger of executing Pakhshan Aziz's sentence, the Iran Human Rights Campaign: the international community must break its silence regarding executions, a statement from 1200 activists and political prisoners: executions of women in Iran must stop.