Dozens protest Iranian labor activist's death sentence in Milan

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

The demonstrators, holding pictures of Mohammadi, chanted slogans demanding the abolition of the death penalty in Iran, emphasizing their solidarity with Iranian labor activists and their opposition to capital punishment.

The death sentence for Mohammadi, a female labor activist in Iran, has ignited widespread condemnation. Convicted on fabricated charges of armed rebellion, she has become a symbol of Tehran's harsh crackdown on dissent. The announcement came just a day before Masoud Pezeshkian's victory in the July 5 presidential runoff, who has been presented as a "reformist" politician.

The Campaign to Defend Mohammadi, initiated on Instagram by her family, asserts that the sentence is based on the pretext of her decade-old membership in an independent, public, and legal labor organization, underscoring the verdict's perceived injustice.

Previously, Italian labor organizations such as the Confederazione dei Comitati di Base (Cobas) and the Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro (CGIL) called for the abolition of the death sentence and the release of Mohammadi. They urged the Italian government and European Union institutions to mobilize and demand that the Islamic Republic revoke her conviction.

In a statement, the Italian organizations described the death sentence for Mohammadi as "part of a systematic strategy by security institutions to instill fear and marginalize social movements in Iran's future political developments."

Five French and eight Danish labor unions have issued statements protesting the death sentence of Mohammadi and called for her immediate release.

Additionally, Robin Korte, a member of the North Rhine-Westphalia regional parliament in Germany, has undertaken political sponsorship of Mohammadi, emphasizing international support for her cause.

According to human rights groups, Mohammadi was deprived of basic prisoner rights during her detention, including in-person visits and phone calls. She was denied visits by her family, particularly her child, and was not permitted to contact them by phone for an extended period. The physical and psychological torture inflicted on Mohammadi by Ministry of Intelligence officials was so severe that even prison authorities expressed concern for her life.

Eighty-five political prisoners in Evin Prison also initiated a hunger strike on Thursday to protest the "unjust sentence" of execution for Mohammadi. Unions and activists in Iran, including The Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, have also condemned the charges against the labor activist. In a statement, they called the accusation of "rebellion" against her "completely baseless" and "pure falsehood," demanding her immediate and unconditional release.

Arrested in December 2023, Mohammadi is among the latest victims in a wave of executions aimed at quelling dissent. According to the United Nations, 834 Iranians were executed last year, marking a record high and a 50 percent increase from the previous year. Of those executed, at least 22 were women, making Iran the world's leading executioner of women. The 2023 figures were the highest since 2014, as reported by Iran Human Rights.