Sixteen political prisoners from Evin Prison have issued a statement condemning the death sentence imposed on Kurdish trade unionist Sharifeh Mohammadi and calling for its repeal. The statement was published by the Narges Mohammadi Foundation.

In addition, 55 political prisoners in Evin Prison will begin a hunger strike today, Thursday, to protest the unjust death sentence handed down against Mohammadi.

Sharifeh Mohammadi, a trade union activist from Rasht, was recently sentenced to death by the first branch of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Court in Rasht. This verdict was delivered by judges Ahmed Darwish Goftar and Mehdi Raskhi.

Mohammadi was accused of "rebellion" due to her involvement in the Coordination Committee for the Formation of Trade Union Organizations and her alleged affiliation with the Komala party. The court's decision is based on articles 211 and 287 of the Islamic Penal Code, ratified in 2013.

The statement reads as follows:

"Sharifeh Mohammadi, a labor activist, after seven months of temporary detention, enduring torture and interrogation in various cities’ detention centers, has been sentenced to death in a baseless and threadbare scenario.

This is not only the death sentence of Sharifeh but the death sentence of all “us” labor, political, civil, human rights, and women’s rights activists.

We see this sentence as a potential danger and a prelude to issuing heavier sentences in the future.

What is most apparent in this death sentence is a policy of repression intended to stifle the voice of protest and demands that had reached a significant level with the revolutionary uprising of 2022, and to intimidate and force back women who have stepped forward with a louder voice than before in the realm of "rights" advocacy.

We, a group of women prisoners in Evin Prison, have heard the voice of the "Campaign to Defend Sharifeh Mohammadi," which has called on all awakened consciences to take action for Sharifeh’s freedom.

We stand with Sharifeh and all those threatened by the death sentence and demand an end to executions.

Signed,
Sarvenaz Ahmadi
Anisha Asadollahi
Hasti Amiri
Reyhaneh Ansari-Nejad
Golrokh Iraee
Sakineh Parvaneh
Nahid Taghavi
Nahid Khodajo
Nasrin Khodari-Jovadi
Vida Rabani
Mahbubeh Rezaei
Mahnaz Tarrah
Sepideh Qolian
Narges Mohammadi
Varisheh Moradi
Maryam Yahyavi

Evin Prison – 9 July 2024"

Photo: Social media