Iran’s Rasht High Court has overturned the death sentence of Sharifeh Mohammadi, a prominent advocate for women’s and workers’ rights, her legal team announced on Saturday.
The 45-year-old woman activist, who was sentenced to death by the Rasht Revolutionary Court for in July this year, had been arrested in December 2023 and accused of anti-state propaganda, and charged with armed rebellion against the state.
Mohammadi’s lawyer, Emir Reîsîan, confirmed that the court’s 39th branch had reversed the initial ruling, bringing relief to supporters who had feared an escalation in executions post-election. “We will continue to pursue justice for Sharifeh,” Reîsîan stated.
The news comes shortly after a fellow political prisoner, Kurdish activist Warisheh Moradi, announced an indefinite hunger strike coinciding with the International Day Against the Death Penalty on 10 October, in protest both at Iran’s relentless application of the death penalty and uncertainty in her own case, closely followed by declarations from two human rights activists that they would do the same if Mohammadi’s death sentence were not overturned.
Mohammadi’s case had already drawn significant attention as a symbol of the Iranian government’s crackdown on activists, particularly following accusations that her confession was extracted under torture. Her initial conviction was met with protests from trade unions, civil organisations and political groups condemning her treatment and the broader surge in state executions. She was also the subject of an Amnesty International Urgent Action campaign.
Iran, one of the leading countries in the use of capital punishment, has seen a sharp increase in executions in recent years, with 834 recorded in 2023 alone. Mohammadi’s overturned sentence is seen as a rare victory for those advocating for human rights reform within the country.
