Iran | Supreme Court Upholds Political Prisoner Sharifeh Mohammadi’s Death Penalty

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); August 16, 2025: Branch 39 of Iran’s Supreme Court has upheld the death penalty of political prisoner, Sharifeh Mohammadi despite leaving unaddressed the same flaws that had previously led to the ruling being overturned.

Reiterating that the Islamic Republic is determined to execute political prisoners and espionage defendants following the 12-day Israel-Iran war, Iran Human Rights once again warns of the imminent danger of their execution.

IHRNGO Director, Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said: “All political and security death row prisoners are currently at serious risk of execution. It is vital that their families and lawyers publicise their cases, and that the public, civil society and the international community work to halt the Islamic Republic’s execution machine by increasing its political cost.”

In an interview with Shargh newspaper, Sharifeh Mohammadi’s lawyer, Amir Raesian, reported that the political prisoner’s death sentence had been upheld by Branch 39 of the Supreme Court.

Sharifeh Mohammadi, a workers’ rights activist, was initially sentenced to death on the charge of baghy (armed rebellion) by Branch 1 of the Rasht Revolutionary Court. However, Branch 39 of the Supreme Court overturned the ruling due to numerous issues, including lack of connection to armed action, lack of evidence proving membership in an organisation designated as baghi, and flaws in the investigative report, and referred the case to a court of equal standing.

According to her lawyer, Branch 2 of the Rasht Revolutionary Court “considered the security agents’ report as sufficient proof” and issued the death sentence. This means that without solid legal evidence, the ruling was based solely on the opinion of interrogators and security agencies.

Raesian said: “Branch 39 of the Supreme Court, which had previously overturned the death sentence of Sharifeh Mohammadi, this time confirmed it, despite the fact that all the ambiguities and flaws still remained.”

He further explained: “Although none of the issues that Branch 39 of the Supreme Court had previously cited to overturn the ruling were resolved, this time the Branch confirmed the death sentence. The verdict of Branch 2 of the Rasht Revolutionary Court was merely a repetition of the previous ruling of Branch 1, issued without addressing the Supreme Court’s concerns and solely based on the security agents’ report. Therefore, it was expected that the Supreme Court would again overturn the ruling, but unexpectedly, it did not.”

Source: Iran Human Rights, Staff, August 16, 2025

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."

— Oscar Wilde

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