The recent death sentence of Sharifeh Mohammadi, a labour and social activist, has ignited protests among Kurdish women in Iranian Kurdistan (Rojhilat) against the Iranian regime’s systematic oppression.
On 3 July, the Revolutionary Court in Rasht sentenced Sharifeh Mohammadi to death for “Baghi” (armed insurgency against the Islamic state), a charge denied by Mohammadi and her supporters. Women in Iranian Kurdistan have been vocal in their opposition, labelling it a glaring scandal within Iran’s judicial system.
In Kermanshah province, protests against Mohammadi’s sentence have escalated, with a campaign launched on 14 July. Kurdish activists shared messages and photos under the hashtag #NoToExecution, demanding the revocation of Mohammadi’s death sentence and her unconditional release.
“The decision by Iran’s court is wholly political and lacks adherence to legal standards. Sharifeh’s sentencing is the regime’s retaliation for the ‘Jin Jiyan Azadi’ uprising,” the socio-political activists from Kermanshah asserted. The women stressed the need for unity with oppressed Iranians, particularly Kurdish women in Kurdistan and Baluchistan.
“Sharifeh Mohammadi is not alone. The threat against her is a threat to all women. The death sentence imposed on her is an attack against all advocates of freedom. This sentence must be revoked, and Sharifeh set free,” they said.
The Iranian regime have arrested Mohammadi for her involvement with the Coordination Committee for Labour Organisations, operating in Iran and Iranian Kurdistan, and claim that it is affiliated with Komala, a Kurdish social democratic party, formerly with Marxist-Leninist and communist ties. These claims have been denied by her family, friends, and the committee itself. The Coordination Committee emphasised its autonomy from armed political groups, stressing its mission to defend labourers’ rights. Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said that the Coordination Committee “has no connection” with Komala.
Born in a working-class family in June 1980, Mohammadi pursued industrial design at Tehran University. Her activism with the Coordination Committee in the 2000s led to her arrest in December 2023. Mohammadi was subjected to severe physical and psychological torture, including solitary confinement, in an attempt to coerce a false confession of armed resistance. Denied access to an independent lawyer and isolated from her family, she has become a symbol of Iran’s broader struggle for justice and human rights.
