Death sentence against woman human rights defender Sharifeh Mohammadi
On 4 July 2024, woman human rights defender Sharifeh Mohammadi and her lawyer were handed a death sentence on the charge of “membership in a group with the intention of overthrowing the state of the Islamic Republic of Iran”, issued by Branch I of the Rasht Revolutionary Court. The charge has been interpreted to “Baghi” under Islamic Penal Code, a vaguely defined crime of “rebelling against the just Islamic ruler(s)” that can lead to the death penalty.
Sharifeh Mohammadi is a woman human rights defender and campaigner against the death penalty in Rasht, Gilan province in Iran. She has been advocating for women’s rights and labour rights, which has included organizing events around international dates celebrating such rights. She was a member of the Coordination Committee to Aid the Formation of Labor Unions in Iran.
On 4 July 2024, woman human rights defender Sharifeh Mohammadi and her lawyer were handed a death sentence on the charge of “membership in a group with the intention of overthrowing the state of the Islamic Republic of Iran”, issued by Branch I of the Rasht Revolutionary Court. The charge has been interpreted to “Baghi” under Islamic Penal Code, a vaguely defined crime of “rebelling against the just Islamic ruler(s)” that can lead to the death penalty.
Sharifeh Mohammadi is a woman human rights defender and campaigner against the death penalty in Rasht, Gilan province in Iran. She has been advocating for women’s rights and labour rights, which has included organizing events around international dates celebrating such rights. She was a member of the Coordination Committee to Aid the Formation of Labor Unions in Iran.
On 4 July 2024, woman human rights defender Sharifeh Mohammadi and her lawyer were handed a death sentence on the charge of “Baghi”, or ‘the rebelling against the just Islamic ruler(s)’ under the Islamic Penal Code. This verdict, which was issued by Branch I of the Rasht Revolutionary Court, has interpreted her committent to the coordination council to form labour unions as a rebellion against the Islamic rulers.
On 11 June 2024, Sharifeh Mohammadi’s husband was arrested after their house was raided in Rasht. He was released on 20 June 2024. While the nature of the charges against the husband of the woman human rights defender are yet to be known, his arrest and nine days detention is reported to be due to his advocacy in support of his wife, as well as to pressure on Sharifeh Mohammadi while under detention.
On 5 December 2023, Sharifeh Mohammadi was arrested on her way from work to home, her house was searched and the electronic devices of herself and those of her family members were confiscated. The woman human rights defender was held in solitary confinement for twenty six days and transferred to Sanandaj prison on 31 December 2023. During this time, access to her lawyer was denied and she was allowed only two telephone calls to her family, including to her eleven year old son. Sharifeh Mohammadi underwent a new round of interrogations in Sanandaj prison, where she was pressured to falsely confess she had affiliations with a Kurdish political party. The woman human rights defender refused to admit guilty and reported physical assault and torture during the interrogations, while she was denied access to her lawyer. She was returned to Lakan prison in Rasht on 28 February 2024, where she has since been held in a public ward.
Front Line Defenders condemns strongly the shocking death sentence issued by Branch I of the Rasht Revolutionary Court which has interpreted her peaceful human rights work as rebellion against the state, punishable by death penality. Furthermore, Front Line Defenders expresses grave concern over the targeting of Sharifeh Mohammadi’s family members, which it believes to be a retaliation against the woman human rights defender for her human rights and labour rights work.
Front Line Defenders urges the Iranian authorities to:
- Immediately and unconditionally overturn the death sentence against Sharifeh Mohammadi and quash the convictions against her;
- Ensure that the treatment of Sharifeh Mohammadi, while in detention, adheres to the conditions set out in the ‘Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment', adopted by UN General Assembly resolution 43/173 of 9 December 1988;
- Conduct an impartial investigation into the allegations of physical assault against woman human rights defender Sharifeh Mohammad during her arrest and detention, publish their findings and hold those responsible accountable;
- Cease the targeting of human rights defenders and their family members in Iran and ensure in all circumstances that they can carry out their legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisal and free of all restrictions, including judicial harassment.
