In a recent development, over 26 human rights organizations, including the Kurdistan Human Rights Network and the Centre for Human Rights in Iran, have demanded the immediate revocation of the death sentence imposed on Pakhshan Azizi, a Kurdish women’s socio-political activist. This call to action came in the form of a joint statement issued on Tuesday.
Azizi, who is 40 years old, was arrested by Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence in Tehran and subsequently transferred to Evin Prison’s Ward 209, a facility notorious for housing political prisoners. During her detention, she was reportedly subjected to both physical and psychological torture in an attempt to extract confessions. In July 2024, the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran sentenced her to death on charges of “armed insurrection” and “membership of opposition groups.”
Her legal team maintains that Azizi has no associations with any militant or armed groups, highlighting her humanitarian work in Syrian refugee camps in the Rojava region. They allege that her conviction stemmed from a trial compromised by substantial due process violations, including coerced confessions under duress.
Azizi’s situation is part of a broader trend in Iran where political dissidents, particularly from marginalized ethnic communities like the Kurds, are frequently targeted for their activism. The rights groups’ statement was unequivocal in its condemnation of the judiciary’s decision:
We strongly condemn the issuance of the Iranian judiciary’s death sentence for Pakhshan Azizi, a Kurdish woman activist and social aid worker. This sentence is not only a blatant violation of human rights principles and standards, but it is also a clear manifestation of the systematic repression of freedom of expression and the right to life in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The statement also called for the intervention of the international community:
We urge the United Nations, governments around the world, and human rights organizations to take immediate and effective action. The global community should use all legal, political, and diplomatic mechanisms to prevent the issuance and execution of such inhumane sentences by Iran’s judiciary.
Despite the potential for diplomatic pressure, Iran’s leadership has historically been resistant to external influence, especially on issues perceived as internal security matters.
For further information and updates, you can read the full piece on JURIST.