Renewed Warning About 'Life Threat' to Sharifeh Mohammadi; Head of Lakan Prison in Rasht Collaborates with Intelligence Agents

The 'Campaign to Defend Sharifeh Mohammadi' announced on Tuesday, July 23, referencing reports about the torture of this imprisoned labor activist, that the head of Lakan Prison in Rasht has collaborated with agents of the Islamic Republic's Ministry of Intelligence in interrogating and abusing her, warning that the life and mental security of this labor activist sentenced to death is in 'danger.' Previously, on Sunday, July 22, the campaign reported, citing reliable sources, that a 'professional torture and interrogation team' had been dispatched to Lakan Prison in Rasht to force this political prisoner sentenced to death to 'confess against herself.' The campaign, consisting of several family members of Sharifeh Mohammadi, stated that Mahmoud Torabi, the head of Lakan Prison in Rasht, has made his office available to interrogators sent from Tehran to carry out intimidation, white torture, and abuse against Sharifeh Mohammadi. According to the campaign's statement on Sunday, a three-member interrogation team from 'senior officials of the Ministry of Intelligence' of the Islamic Republic traveled from Tehran to Rasht and subjected Sharifeh Mohammadi to 'hours of psychological torture, interrogation, threats, and humiliation' to force her to confess against herself, her activities, and independent labor organizations. The campaign accused the Islamic Republic's prison organization of being complicit with the Ministry of Intelligence in the psychological operations and torture of Ms. Mohammadi, especially as she is 'currently awaiting the determination of a branch in the Supreme Court for her appeal against the death sentence and there is no ongoing investigation or interrogation process regarding her case.' The Campaign to Defend Sharifeh Mohammadi emphasized that 'the complicity of the head of Lakan Prison in Rasht is a clear violation even from the perspective of the internal legal and judicial laws of the Islamic Republic and also the laws applicable to prison organizations,' demanding 'legal and judicial action' in this regard. The organization added: 'The head of the Gilan Province Prison Organization and the overall leadership of the prison organizations in the country must be held accountable for their complicity in this dirty and inhumane plan designed and executed by the Ministry of Intelligence.' The campaign stated that 'the complicity of the head of Lakan Prison with the group of interrogators and torturers is seen as the management's will of the prison organization to strip Sharifeh Mohammadi of her life and mental security,' emphasizing: 'If there is no immediate and clear legal action against the head of Lakan Prison in the coming days, this issue will be recorded, complained about, and pursued at the level of international organizations to which the Islamic Republic is obliged to respond.' In recent days, human rights activists, labor and professional organizations in Iran, as well as human rights organizations and labor unions worldwide, along with several Iranian activists, have condemned the death sentence issued for Ms. Mohammadi. 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 on July 4 was sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court of Rasht on charges of 'rebellion.' This sentence was issued based on the accusation by the Islamic Republic's Ministry of Intelligence regarding Ms. Mohammadi's membership in 'Komala,' which has been vehemently denied by Ms. Mohammadi, her husband, Siros Fathi, and Komala. The Coordination Committee to Help Establish Labor Organizations, of which Sharifeh Mohammadi was a member in the 1980s, has also rejected the charges 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 accusation has also been denied by the organization. The campaign has highlighted various forms of support for Sharifeh Mohammadi, including protests and statements from labor unions and human rights organizations both in Iran and internationally, emphasizing the dire situation for labor activists in the country.