Sharifeh Mohammadi | |
|---|---|
شریفه محمّدی | |
| Born | 1979 (age 45–46) Mianeh, Iran |
| Occupation(s) | Political prisoner, labor activist |
| Spouse | Sirous Fathi |
Sharifeh Mohammadi (شریفه محمّدی) is an Iranian social activist andpolitical prisoner sentenced to death in Iran.[1] She was arrested in December 2023 and on 4 July 2024 was sentenced to death by theIslamic Revolutionary Court inRasht on the charge ofbaghi (armed rebellion). The judge cited her former membership in the labor organization “Committee to Help Form Workers’ Organizations,” dating back more than a decade, as grounds for the charge.[2] Although theSupreme Court of Iran overturned the initial verdict in October 2024 due to "flaws and ambiguities," it upheld a renewed death sentence in August 2025, a decision that has drawn widespread condemnation from human rights organizations.[3]
On 5 December 2023, Mohammadi was arrested at her home in Rasht on the charge of “propaganda against the state.” She was immediately transferred to a security detention center inSanandaj, and thebaghi charge was added later.[4] Reports state that duringinterrogation and insolitary confinement she was subjected totorture and pressure to confess. She was also denied telephone contact with her 12-year-old child and family, as well as access to a lawyer.[5]BBC Persian reported that interrogators from Sanandaj Intelligence tortured her, with former prisoners claiming to have seen bruises and marks of torture on her body.[6]
On 4 July 2024, Branch One of the Revolutionary Court in Rasht, presided over by Judge Ahmad Darvish-Goftar, found Mohammadi guilty ofbaghi (armed insurgency against the Islamic Republic) and sentenced her to death. The court alleged that the “Committee to Help Form Workers’ Organizations” was linked to Komala. The Committee has rejected this claim, describing it as “a pretext to suppress social activists and labor organizations.” Mohammadi herself had not been a member since 2011.[7]
In October 2024, Branch 39 of theSupreme Court of Iran overturned the death sentence and referred the case back for retrial. However, on 12 February 2025, Branch Two of the Revolutionary Court in Rasht, again presided by Judge Darvish-Goftar, reinstated the death sentence on the charge ofbaghi through alleged membership in an opposition group.[8]
In August 2025, the Supreme Court upheld the renewed death sentence despite having previously overturned it for "flaws and ambiguities." Mohammadi’s lawyer, Amir Raeesian, told the dailySharq that the new verdict repeated the same problems and announced his intention to appeal.[3] Her cousin, Vida Mohammadi, stated that the case was based on a scenario "fabricated by the Intelligence Ministry" and that the presiding judge of the second court was the son of the judge who had issued the initial death sentence.[3]
The sentence sparked widespread reactions from domestic and internationalhuman rights organizations and activists.[9] On 9 July 2024, social media users launched a Twitter storm under the banner “Campaign to Defend Sharifeh Mohammadi.”[10][11]
