In July 2024, a court in Gilan province in northern Iran sentenced to death Sharifeh Mohammadi, a political activist and a member of the Gilak minority in Iran, on the spurious charge of “Baghi”—armed rebellion against the Islamic Republic. This represented “normalizing the process of executing women political prisoners.” (For more on the women in danger of execution and resistance by women political prisoners, see “Persistent Brave Resistance by Women Prisoners in Iran, Calls for Broader Actions and International Solidarity”.)
She had been tortured for months in solitary confinement without any contact with the outside world. Even under these conditions, the court was not able to “prove” any association with armed groups other than her having helped found a non-political labor organizing collective 10 years ago. Her family and supporters worked tirelessly to build support among dozens of labor unions and a wide range of activists inside Iran and worldwide.
The Free Sharifeh campaign announced:
We are pleased to announce that the death sentence against Sharifeh Mohammadi has been overturned by [Iran's] Supreme Court... We emphasize that the overturning of Sharifeh’s death sentence is the result of the support and solidarity of all those who have stood by us and Sharifeh’s family throughout this period. We, the members of the Campaign for the Defense of Sharifeh Mohammadi, extend our heartfelt thanks to Sharifeh’s lawyers, labor unions, teachers’ organizations, student groups, retirees in Iran and around the world, human rights organizations, media outlets, activists from various fields, and all individuals and institutions who have consistently supported us in this struggle. In our view, the reversal of Sharifeh’s death sentence, along with her courage and resistance, is a result of our collective struggle and represents a victory for social movements… We cannot hide our outrage that Sharifeh is still imprisoned. We refuse to be content with the mere overturning of her death sentence. It cannot make us ignore the oppression and torture that has been inflicted on Sharifeh, her child, her mother, her husband, her entire family and us, the members of her campaign. We will not be joyful, until the moment Sharifeh is acquitted of all allegations against her, and she is unconditionally released….
