Iranian human rights defender Sharifeh Mohammadi is at risk of execution after a Revolutionary Court sentenced her to death in June 2024.
Demand Iranian authorities halt any plans to execute Sharifeh Mohammadi, and quash her conviction and death sentence!
She was convicted of ‘armed rebellion against the state’ (baghi) solely in relation to her peaceful human rights activities, including supporting women’s and workers’ rights as well as the abolition of the death penalty, and her past membership with the Coordinating Committee to Help to Form Workers’ Organizations, which advocates for trade unions.
Sharifeh’s trial, which consisted of one 30-minute session in June 2024, was grossly unfair. She was connected from prison via video conference and was denied the right to speak. The verdict lists her peaceful human rights activities as “evidence” against her, including possession of documents supporting women prisoners, her abolitionist position and ties to the Coordinating Committee to Help to Form Workers’ Organizations. Her allegations of torture and other ill-treatment were never investigated. Her appeal is pending before the Supreme Court.
On 5 December 2023, Ministry of Intelligence agents arbitrarily arrested Sharifeh and transferred her to a detention centre in Rasht, where, according to an informed source, she was subjected to torture and ill-treatment. A few days later, she was transferred to solitary confinement in Lakan prison. On 28 December 2023, she was transferred to a Ministry of Intelligence detention facility in Sanandaj, Kurdistan province. According to informed sources, there agents subjected her to torture and ill-treatment to compel her forced “confessions”, including by repeatedly hitting her in the face and head while she was blindfolded.
In the aftermath of the ‘Woman Life Freedom’ uprising, Iranian authorities have intensified their use of the death penalty to instil fear among the population and tighten their grip on power. This escalation includes the use of the death penalty against women on politically motivated charges.
Take Urgent Action now to call on authorities to quash her conviction and death sentence, and release her immediately and unconditionally! Pending her release, authorities must provide her with adequate healthcare and regular visits from family and lawyers; protect her from further torture and other ill-treatment; and order an independent, effective and impartial investigation into her torture allegations, bringing anyone suspected of criminal responsibility to justice in fair trials.