04 October 2024 :
September 9, 2024 - IRAN. 26 Human Rights Organizations Urge Iran to Revoke Death Sentence for Pakhshan Azizi, Kurdish Woman Activist
The Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI), along with 25 fellow human rights organizations, issued a joint statement urgently calling for the immediate revocation of Kurdish women’s rights activist and social worker Pakhshan Azizi’s death sentence and demanding her unconditional release.
“This sentence is not just a threat to the life of a civil and social activist, it is also a clear and unlawful attempt by the Iranian government to retaliate against supporters of the “Jin, Jiyan, Azadi” (Women, Life, Freedom) uprising, suppress peaceful dissent, and continue the systematic violation of women’s rights in Iran,” the statement said.
Azizi was arrested at her home by agents of the Islamic Republic’s Ministry of Intelligence in Tehran on August 4, 2023, and transferred to the notorious Ward 209 of Evin Prison. Since her arrest, she has endured repeated physical and psychological torture and has been denied visitation rights with her family.
In a letter, Azizi described the tortures she was subjected to, writing: “During interrogations, they hanged me multiple times, buried me 10 meters underground, then pulled me back up, only to label me as a broken and defeated individual.”
On July 23, 2024, Azizi was sentenced to death on the sham charge of “armed rebellion against the state” by Branch 26 of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Court and sentenced to four years in prison for alleged membership in the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), an accusation which her lawyers have denied.
Her lawyer, Amir Raeesian, previously stated, “The death sentence was issued on charges of rebellion, claiming that Ms. Azizi engaged in armed activities to further the goals of opposition groups. However, Ms. Azizi not only did not participate in any armed operations, but she had also been living in Iraq and Syria for the past seven years.”
CHRI strongly echoes the letter’s call for the immediate revocation of Azizi’s death sentence and urges the international community to stand in solidarity with prisoners at risk of execution in Iran.
