The lawyers of Sharifeh Mohammadi, a labor activist imprisoned in Lakan Prison in Rasht, have reported the reissuance of the death sentence against her in the retrial process.
This death sentence had previously been overturned by the Supreme Court, and her case had been referred to a parallel branch for reconsideration.
The “Campaign to Defend Sharifeh Mohammadi” page, which is managed by her family members, announced on Thursday, February 13, that Mohammad-Ali Darvish-Goftar, the head of Branch 2 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Rasht, who upheld this sentence, is the son of Ahmad Darvish-Goftar, the judge of Branch 1 who had issued the previous ruling.
Iran: 85 Political Prisoners on Hunger Strike in Protest of Sharifeh Mohammadi’s Death Sentence
The baseless charge against Sharifeh is her alleged membership in an opposition group through her involvement in the Coordination Committee, whereas this committee is an independent labor organization with no political affiliations.
On December 19, 2024, the Campaign to Defend Sharifeh Mohammadi reported that a hearing for her case had been held at Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court in Rasht. It stated that despite her lawyers’ request for her in-person attendance, part of the session was held online and remotely, during which she answered some of the judges’ questions.
Sharifeh Mohammadi was arrested in December 2023 and sentenced to death on July 4, 2024, by the regime’s Islamic Revolutionary Court in Rasht on charges of “rebellion” due to alleged membership in an opposition group.
This accusation has been denied by her, her husband, and her family. Additionally, members of the Coordination Committee for Helping to Establish Labor Organizations have rejected any association with this party.
At the time of her arrest, Ms. Mohammadi was charged with “acting against the state.”
The Campaign to Defend Sharifeh Mohammadi had previously reported that she was subjected to torture while held at the detention center of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence in Sanandaj.
The issuance of the death sentence for Sharifeh Mohammadi was met with widespread global protests from labor unions, trade syndicates, and human rights organizations.
In September 2024, Amnesty International condemned the death sentence against Sharifeh Mohammadi, calling her trial “grossly unfair” and stressing that her claims regarding torture and mistreatment “were never investigated.”
This international human rights organization stated that the Revolutionary Court of Gilan Province sentenced Sharifeh Mohammadi to death solely for her peaceful human rights activities, identifying her as a labor rights activist, a women’s rights advocate, and a proponent of abolishing the death penalty.
Since the start of the nationwide protests in 2022, the Iranian regime has intensified its repression and crackdown on civil activists, particularly women.
Between February 2024 and February 2025, the Iranian regime executed 1,024 people, setting a global record.
