Sharifeh Mohammadi, Labor Activist Sentenced to Death for the Second Time

Iranian human rights groups report that the death sentence of Sharifeh Mohammadi, a labor activist, has been confirmed for the second time, putting her life in danger. The campaign to defend Sharifeh Mohammadi and the Hengaw human rights organization announced on Thursday, February 25, citing her lawyers Mohammad Reza Nazari Nejad and Mohammad Reza Sorouri, that a new death sentence has been issued against her. This ruling is the result of a retrial for this former member of the Coordination Committee for the Establishment of Labor Organizations. According to reports from HRANA, a collection of Iranian human rights activists, Sharifeh Mohammadi, who is currently in Lakan Prison in Rasht, has been sentenced to death for the second time by the second branch of the Revolutionary Court of this city. This sentence was previously overturned by the Supreme Court and her case was referred to a parallel branch for reconsideration. According to this report, based on a ruling issued by the second branch of the Revolutionary Court of Rasht, presided over by Judge Darvish Goftegar, she has been sentenced to death for the charge of 'baghi' or armed rebellion through membership in one of the opposition groups. Her membership in the 'Coordination Committee for the Establishment of Labor Organizations' has been cited as the basis for her charges, and the Revolutionary Court has also attributed the charge of 'membership in the Komala Party' to this labor activist. Sharifeh Mohammadi was sentenced to death for 'baghi' by the first branch of the Revolutionary Court of Rasht in mid-July, but this ruling was overturned in October by Branch 39 of the Supreme Court, and the case was referred for retrial to the second branch of the Revolutionary Court of Rasht, which held a hearing at the end of December. Sharifeh Mohammadi, a labor activist and former member of the 'Coordination Committee for the Establishment of Labor Organizations,' was arrested in December 2023 by intelligence agents at her home. HRANA reported that a source close to Mohammadi's family previously stated that 'Sharifeh was a member of the Labor Organizations Association until 2013, and this association has no connection with the Komala group,' which is the group she is accused of being a member of, leading to the issuance of the 'baghi' sentence against her. The campaign to defend Sharifeh Mohammadi has also deemed the accusation of membership in Komala through her membership in the Coordination Committee as completely baseless, emphasizing that it has been repeatedly stated that the Coordination Committee is an independent labor organization and has no political affiliations. Sharifeh's cousin, Vida Mohammadi, previously told Radio Farda that although the Coordination Committee was a legal entity and Sharifeh had clear boundaries with political organizations, she distanced herself from it and resigned for the sake of her son. Yadollah Samadi, a former member and spokesperson of the 'Coordination Committee for the Establishment of Labor Organizations,' told Radio Farda, 'The activities of the Coordination Committee in Iran were official and public. The committee was fundamentally opposed to underground and secret activities, and its activities confirm this according to its charter.' Mahmoud Salehi, one of the founding members of this committee, also previously wrote, 'If membership in the Coordination Committee is baghi, then come and arrest us too, because we were also once members of the committee.' In addition to Mahmoud Salehi, Mohammad Abdi Pour and Mohsen Hakimi are still in Iran. They, along with a larger group of well-known labor activists, established the Coordination Committee for the Establishment of Labor Organizations in the early 2000s.