Iran Must Immediately Release WHRD Sharifeh Mohammadi and Dismiss the Death Sentence Against Her

We, the undersigned, representing international and regional women and human rights organizations, are shocked and extremely concerned about the unjust death sentence issued against rights defender Sharifeh Mohammadi, by the Islamic Republic of Iran. We call on Iran’s judiciary to immediately and unconditionally dismiss the death sentence against Sharifeh Mohammadi, whose civic activities in support of labor rights were not only peaceful but also legal and in line with the laws of the country.

We urge all feminists and women human rights defenders, as well as their organizations worldwide, particularly in the MENA region, to unite in solidarity and demand Sharifeh Mohammadi’s unconditional release.

Sharifeh Mohammadi is an Iranian woman human rights defender (WHRD) and long-time labor rights activist, who organized in support of the rights of workers, through a registered, independent, public and legal organization of the same aim. The Ministry of Intelligence apprehended Mohammadi at her home in Rasht on December 5, 2023. Subsequently, she was transferred from Lakan Prison to Sanandaj Prison on December 30, 2023, only to be returned to Lakan Prison later on. She continues to remain in detention in Lakan Prison in Rasht in northern Iran. According to reports, Sharifeh endured mental and physical violence during her detention, aimed at coercing a confession. She was also denied family visits during the three months she spent in solitary confinement.

On July 4, 2024 Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court in Rasht sentenced Mohammadi to death, on the charge of “armed rebellion against the state.” According to the Campaign for the Defense of Sharifeh Mohammadi the sentence is “based on the pretext of Ms. Mohammadi’s membership in an independent, public, and legal labor organization a decade ago, demonstrating the baselessness of the verdict.” The Campaign for the Defense of Sharifeh Mohammadi described the labor organization -- the Coordination Committee for Helping to Establish Labor Organizations -- as legal but said that Sharifeh had not been a member of the organization for 10 years.

This sentence constitutes one of the harshest punishments imposed on a human rights defender in Iran and the broader SWANA region. The conviction of a woman human rights defender solely for peaceful labor rights advocacy has shocked both Iranian civil society and the international human rights community. We believe Sharifeh Mohammadi is a victim of a fabricated case and that all charges against her are unfounded. Sharifeh’s case is a clear example of the continued repression of civil society and enmity of the Iranian state with women human rights defenders.

We, the undersigned, remind Iranian authorities that advocating for labor rights is not a crime, and call on them to:

1. Immediately and unconditionally dismiss the death sentence against Sharifeh Mohammadi and drop all other charges against her.
2. End their systematic harassment of women human rights defenders, and respect peaceful assembly and the right to organize for labor and women’s rights within civil society organizations.
3. End the use of the death penalty, which is often used to create fear among peaceful dissenters and applied unjustly given lack of due process in the courts of the Islamic Republic.