Australian senator sponsors Iranian labor activist on death row

Australian Greens Leader in the Senate Larissa Waters has taken political sponsorship of Iranian labor activist Sharifeh Mohammadi, who has been sentenced to death.

In a letter addressed to the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Australia, Waters expressed deep concern over reports indicating that since Mohammadi's imprisonment in December 2023, she has been subjected to physical and mental torture, endured months of solitary confinement, and has been denied visits from her family, including her young son.

The death sentence for Mohammadi, a labor activist imprisoned in Iran on trumped-up charges of armed rebellion, has sparked widespread condemnation from activists. They maintain that the sentence is based on the pretext of her membership in an independent, public, and legal labor organization from a decade ago, highlighting the perceived unfairness of the verdict.

In her letter, Waters requested an urgent update on Mohammadi's welfare and case status and added that it is critical that Mohammadi is "granted an unbiased trial and that the death sentence is overturned immediately."