The city council of Poggibonsi, Italy granted honorary citizenship to Iranian Kurdish political prisoner Warisheh Moradi on 26 May. Suzanne Ceni, mayor of Poggibonsi, described her as “a sports coach, feminist activist, and Kurdish political prisoner who defends women affected by the war waged by ISIS in Syria.”
Moradi was a member of the East Kurdistan Free Women’s Community (KJAR) at the time of her arrest, the umbrella organisation of the Kurdish women’s movement in East Kurdistan and Iran. She was arrested on 1 August 2023 during a police check near her hometown of Sine (Sanandaj), Iran and forcibly disappeared.
She was sentenced to death by the Islamic Republic of Iran on charges of “armed rebellion” through her purported membership of the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK) in November 2024. This sparked global outrage among numerous groups in Argentina, Greece, Syria, Belgium, Macedonia, Colombia, and other groups in Italy.
This is however the first time that Moradi has received such diplomatic honour in Italy. Mayor Ceni of Poggibonsi noted that Moradi has been tortured in Evin Prison on her Facebook page, and that the city council members voted unanimously to award the honorary citizenship to Moradi.
