The Kurdish Women’s Movement in Europe (TJK-E) issued a statement after the approval of the death sentence against women’s activist Sharifa Mohammadi.
Mohammadi was arrested by Iranian authorities in 2023 for participating in protests and events sparked by the murder of Kurdish woman Jina Amini by Iranian state forces in Tehran in 2022. Although her death sentence was overturned in October 2024, it was recently reinstated by the Supreme Court.
TJK-E said: “After Jina Amini was murdered by the morality police on September 16, 2022, a massive popular uprising led by Kurdish women broke out in Iran, spreading into broader social resistance. The slogan ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadî’ (Woman, Life, Freedom), born from these protests, became a universal cry symbolizing women’s defiance, resistance, and willpower, inspiring women’s movements across the world.
The Iranian regime is trying to intimidate and suppress the public through executions, targeting everyone who joined the protests. Dozens of women have already been killed, and death sentences against women in prison continue to be issued as the regime seeks to maintain its system of oppression.”
The statement added: “The reinstatement of the death penalty for Sharifa Mohammadi, despite its earlier annulment, is an expression of the regime’s desire for vengeance against women and society. The charges against her, including her trade union activities, expose both the patriarchal instrumentalization of the judiciary and the lack of legal legitimacy.
We do not accept the decision of the clerical regime. We call on international institutions to take responsibility and act immediately for its reversal. Wherever women face oppression, we will be their voice. We stand with Sharifa Mohammadi, stressing that her freedom is the freedom of all women. We call on women everywhere to rise up, say STOP, and raise their voices against this ruling.”