Her case exemplifies not only the brutality of the Iranian judicial system but also the regime’s systematic attack on those who dare to demand equality, justice, and human dignity.

BY ELAHE AMANI

LA Progressive

The world is once again confronted with the grim reality of Iran's escalating use of the death penalty as a tool of political repression. Among the latest targets is Sharifeh Mohammadi, a prominent peaceful labor activist and women's rights defender, who now faces imminent execution after Branch 39 of Iran's Supreme Court upheld her unjust death sentence on August 16, 2025. Her case exemplifies not only the brutality of the Iranian judicial system but also the regime's systematic attack on those who dare to demand equality, justice, and human dignity.

Sharifeh Mohammadi, a 45-year-old industrial design engineer and mother of a 13-year-old son, was arbitrarily arrested by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence on December 5, 2023, and held incommunicado for months. During this time, her family was denied any information about her status, condition, or whereabouts—a clear act of retaliation for her peaceful activism. After a sham trial marred by torture, forced “confessions,” and grave due process violations, she was handed a death sentence on 4 July 2024. The death sentences was 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.

On 12 October 2024, the lawyers of woman human rights defender Sharifeh Mohmmadi announced that the death sentence handed down to her had been overturned by Branch 39 of the Supreme Court of Iran. Following this decision, the case has been sent back to the Revolutionary Court for retrial. She remained in detention awaiting this retrial.

On 13 February 2025, Branch 2 of Rasht Revolutionary court sentenced woman human rights defender Sharifeh Mohammadi to death on the charge of “Baghi”, or ‘the rebelling against the just Islamic ruler(s)' under the Islamic Penal Code, after the sentence had been overturned by Branch 39 of the Supreme Court of Iran.

On 16 August 2025, the lawyer of Sharifeh Mohammadi announced that the death sentence against her was reissued and confirmed by Branch 39 of the Supreme Court. Her lawyer, Amir Raisian, revealed: “Branch 39 of the Supreme Court, which had previously overturned Sharifeh Mohammadi's death sentence, has this time upheld the verdict despite all the remaining ambiguities and flaws in the case.”

Many labor, human rights, feminist, and women's rights organizations have issued statements affirming that the death penalty, in any form and under any pretext, is an assault on the right to life and must be abolished. The death sentence of Sharifeh Mohammadi is not only a blatant violation of the right to life of a woman who has been an active labor and women's movement activist, but also a stark demonstration of the absence of justice in arresting and sentencing anyone who opposes the authoritarian rule of those in power.

The Campaign to Defend Sharifeh Mohammadi (@freesharifeh) is calling on all labor, women's, and human rights organizations, as well as concerned individuals, to urgently write protest letters and demand the annulment of the death sentence and justice for Sharifeh.

Adding to these voices, Shokat Mohammadi, a relative of Sharifeh, released a video on November 9, 2024, explaining the severe and unjust conditions she has endured: “Sharifeh has been detained for nearly a year without any evidence or documentation. More than a decade ago, Sharifeh was active in the independent and public labor organization known as the Coordination Committee to Help Form Workers' Organizations, and for many years she has had no involvement with this independent, open, and legal labor organization.”

Despite Iran's formal commitment to International Labour Organization (ILO) Conventions 87 and 98, the regime has systematically undermined labor rights and obstructed union activities.

“Organizations such as the Coordination Committee to Help Form Workers' Organizations are examples of workers' open and legal efforts to defend their trade union rights, which have faced restrictions due to structural and political barriers. Despite these limitations and repression, such activities demonstrate the collective determination of workers to achieve their legal and human rights.”

Global Solidarity and International Outcry

In response to international calls to save Sharifeh Mohammadi, major trade unions in Spain and the United Kingdom have expressed strong support:

  • The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)—the world's largest labor organization with over 200 million members in 163 countries—strongly condemned in an official letter to the Iranian government the confirmation of the death sentence against Sharifeh Mohammadi, a labor activist imprisoned in Rasht.
  • Sharifeh Mohammadi has been convicted on the fabricated charge of “baghi” (armed rebellion), while her activities were solely in the field of labor rights and defending the rights of women and workers.
  • This sentence was issued even after the Supreme Court of Iran in 2024 had overturned the original verdict due to blatant violations of due process, yet it was unjustly reinstated through an unfair process.
  • Since her arrest on December 5, 2023, Sharifeh has been subjected to torture and solitary confinement and has had no access to a fair trial.

The ITUC warned that this action is a clear violation of Iran's international obligations under the International Labor Organization (ILO) conventions and called on the global community to take urgent action to annul this sentence and ensure the unconditional release of Sharifeh Mohammadi.

  • Confederation of Trade Unions of Workers' Commissions (CCOO), Spain
    The largest labor union in Spain, in an official letter to the Embassy of the Islamic Republic in Madrid, described Sharifeh's death sentence as “illegal and inhumane,” demanding its immediate annulment and her unconditional release.
  • Sean Brogan – Chair of Unite Community in Devon, UK
    “I call on the Iranian government to revoke the death sentence of Sharifeh Mohammadi and end her unjust detention, which is solely for fighting for the rights of women and workers.”
  • Unite Union – Bart's Health Branch, East London
    Len Hockey, the branch secretary, emphasized: “We condemn the Iranian regime's repression and the death sentence against Sharifeh Mohammadi. We demand its immediate cancellation, her prompt release, and respect for all labor activists.”
  • The Swedish Trade Union Confederation in their letter to the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Sweden states “ This sentence has no basis in justice, legality, or humanity”.

The message from trade unions is clear: The repression of labor activists is unacceptable, and Sharifeh Mohammadi's death sentence must be revoked. In addition to the trade unions, many women's rights activists and human rights organizations also condemn the dead sentence of Sharifeh Mohammadi.

Radical Women joined with other international organizations to call on your government to “ Immediately annul the death sentence against Sharifeh Mohammadi. Release her unconditionally and without delay. End the persecution and imprisonment of labour, women's, and civil rights activists in Iran. Free Sharifeh Mohammadi now! “

Femena a women human rights defenders (WHRDs), of MENA and Asia regions, in their statements “ strongly condemns the unjust and politically motivated death sentence against Sharifeh Mohammadi and demands her immediate and unconditional release. We emphasize that Mohammadi, like many other activists in Iran, is being punished solely for her peaceful activism and defense of labor rights. We call on the international community, human rights organizations, and global civil society to amplify the voices of Sharifeh Mohammadi, Pakhshan Azizi, and Varishe Moradi, all of whom face imminent execution. “

The case of Sharifeh Mohammadi unfolds against a backdrop of unprecedented executions in Iran. “According to information gathered by the UN Human Rights Office, at least 612 people were reportedly executed in the first half of 2025. This is more than double the number during the same period in 2024, when the Iranian authorities reportedly carried out at least 297 executions. Minorities continue to be disproportionately affected by executions.”

As I argued in my previous article, “Death Penalty Is a Feminist Issue in Iran”: “The execution sentence of Azizi, Mohammadi, and Moradi highlight the intersection of state violence, gender inequality, and political repression, and the fight to end these death penalty sentences is a fight for justice, equality, and human rights. Feminists, both within Iran, in Iranian diaspora and internationally, must continue to demand abolition of the death penalty in Iran. Abolishing the death penalty is not just a legal reform, it is a commitment to a more humane and hopeful tomorrow.”

Sharifeh Mohammadi's case is not an isolated incident—it is a clear warning to every woman and worker in Iran who dares to speak out against systemic injustice. Her imminent execution underscores the lethal intersection of misogyny, authoritarianism, and political oppression. The global community—especially feminist movements, labor unions, and human rights defenders—must amplify her voice and act decisively. Silence is complicity. Every letter, every signature, every protest, every act of solidarity matters.

The fight to save Sharifeh is the fight for life, dignity, and freedom for all.

Elahe Amani is Chair, Women’s Intercultural Network; board member, National Association for Community Mediation Emerita, California State University; and editor of the women's section of the monthly journal, 'Peace Mark', a publication of the Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA).