Sharifeh Mohammadi Sentenced to Death Again
Hengaw: Thursday, February 13, 2025
Sharifeh Mohammadi, a Turkish labor activist, and political prisoner detained in Lakan Prison, Rasht, has once again been sentenced to death by the judicial system of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
According to a report received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Branch Two of the Rasht Revolutionary Court has issued a second death sentence against Mohammadi. She had previously been sentenced to death by Branch One of the Rasht Revolutionary Court, but that ruling was overturned by the Supreme Court in October 2024 and referred to a parallel court for reconsideration.
A statement published by Sharifeh Mohammadi’s campaign confirmed that the new death sentence was issued by Mohammad Ali Darvish-Goftar, the head of Branch Two of the Rasht Revolutionary Court. Notably, he is the son of Ahmad Darvish-Goftar, the judge of Branch One of the same court, who had previously sentenced her to death.
Mohammadi, a labor activist from Rasht, was originally sentenced to death in July 2024 by Branch One of the Rasht Revolutionary Court, presided over by Ahmad Darvish-Goftar and Mehdi Rasekhi. She was convicted on charges of “Baghi” (armed rebellion) due to her membership in the Coordination Committee for Forming Labor Organizations and the court’s claim of “proximity of this organization to the Komala Party.” The ruling cited Articles 211 and 287 of the Islamic Penal Code (2013) as the legal basis for the death sentence.
Previously, Hengaw had reviewed and published a copy of Mohammadi’s verdict, which explicitly stated: “The intelligence agencies are the sole authority in identifying members of opposition groups, and all reports from the Intelligence Department of Gilan Province, as well as Kurdistan Province, are attached to the case file. The defendant has been identified as a member of the Komala Party and the Coordination Committee.” This statement clearly demonstrates the lack of independence within the Iranian judiciary and highlights the direct interference of security agencies in judicial proceedings.
In October 2024, the Supreme Court overturned the death sentence and referred the case to a parallel court for retrial.
Sharifeh Mohammadi’s trial session took place on Saturday, June 8, 2024, in Branch One of the Rasht Revolutionary Court.
She had previously been subjected to psychological and physical pressure by interrogators at the Sanandaj Intelligence Department in an attempt to extract a forced confession.
On Tuesday, December 5, 2023, agents of the Intelligence Department forcibly arrested Mohammadi at her home in Rasht. Over the past 15 months, she has been held in multiple facilities, including Sanandaj Central Prison, Lakan Prison in Rasht, and the Intelligence Detention Centers in both cities.
