Dozens protest in Milan against death sentence against Iranian labor activist

Dozens of activists took to the streets in Milan, Italy on Saturday to protest against the death sentence against Iranian labor activist Sharifeh Mohammadi.

The demonstratorsholding pictures of Mohammadi chanted slogans calling for the abolition of the death penalty in Iran and stressing their solidarity with Iranian labor activists and their opposition to the death penalty.

The death sentence against Mohammadi, a labor activist in Iran, has sparked widespread condemnation. She was convicted on trumped-up charges of armed rebellion and has become a symbol of Tehran’s crackdown on dissent. The death sentence was announced just three days after the July 5 runoff election victory of Masoud Pezeshkian, who was portrayed as a “reformist” politician.

The campaign launched by Mohammadi’s family on Instagram to defend Mohammadi claims that the verdict is based on her ten years of membership in an independent, public and legal workers’ organization, thereby underlining that the verdict is perceived as unfair.

Previously, Italian unions such as the Confederation of Base Committees (Cobas) and the Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro (CGIL) called for the annulment of the death sentence and the release of Mohammadi. They called on the Italian government and the European Union institutions to take action and demand that the Islamic Republic annul its sentence.

In a statement, the Italian organizations described the death sentence against Mohammadi as “part of a systematic strategy of the security institutions to create fear and marginalize social movements in Iran’s future political development.”

Five French and eight Danish trade unions issued statements protesting against the death sentence against Mohammadi and calling for her immediate release.

Also: Robin KorteMember of the North Rhine-Westphalian state parliament in Germany, has taken over political patronage for Mohammadi and emphasized that her cause receives international support.

According to human rights groups, Mohammadi was denied basic prisoner rights during her detention, including personal visits and telephone calls. She was denied visits from her family, especially her child, and was not allowed to contact them by telephone for extended periods. The physical and psychological torture inflicted on Mohammadi by intelligence officials was so severe that even prison authorities feared for her life.

Eighty-five political prisoners in Evin Prison also began a hunger strike on Thursday to protest against the “unjust verdict” of Mohammadi’s execution. Trade unions and activists in Iranincluding the Tehran Workers’ Union and the Suburbs Bus Company, have also condemned the charges against the trade union activist. In a statement, they called the accusations of “rebellion” against her “completely baseless” and “pure lies” and called for her immediate and unconditional release.

Arrested in December 2023, Mohammadi is one of the latest victims of a wave of executions aimed at suppressing dissent. According to the United Nations, 834 Iranians were executed last year, a record high and a 50 percent increase from the previous year. Among those executed were at least 22 women, making Iran the world’s leading execution state for women. The 2023 figures were the highest since 2014, Iran Human Rights reports.