September 9, 2024

Joint Statement: 26 Human Rights Organizations Urge Iran to Revoke Death Sentence for Kurdish Woman Activist

Pakhshan Azizi Sentenced to Death After Manufactured Charges, Torture, and Sham Trial

September 9, 2024 – 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.

Read the full letter below.

We Demand the Immediate and Unconditional Revocation of Pakhshan Azizi’s Death Sentence and Her Release.

We, the undersigned human rights organizations, express our deep concern and strong objection to the situation of all political prisoners in the Islamic Republic of Iran who are sentenced to or at risk of being sentenced to death, and we fundamentally oppose this inhumane and cruel punishment for all individuals. 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, as well as international conventions and treaties, but also a clear manifestation of the systematic repression of freedom of expression and the right to life in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Pakhshan Azizi, who has consistently worked to raise public awareness, support women’s rights, and achieve social justice both during and after her student years as a social worker, is now facing this cruel punishment due to her efforts in defending basic human rights and fundamental freedoms.

From the very first moments of her arrest, which was accompanied by violence from Islamic Republic security forces, she was subjected to torture—including months of solitary confinement without the right to meet with her family or access to a lawyer—in order to extract forced confessions and fabricate a case against her. The outcome of such a process can never lead to justice, and Pakhshan was later sentenced to death in a completely unfair judicial process, deprived of the fundamental rights that every prisoner should have.

As a political prisoner, Pakhshan is charged with “rebellion” and sentenced to the death penalty despite denying any involvement in armed operations. Her lawyers have also clearly stated: “Ms. Azizi not only did not participate in any armed operations, but she was also in Iraq and Syria for seven years. Due to ISIS atrocities, she had to move to refugee camps in the Rojava region of Syria in 2015, where she was helping refugees and victims because she was a social worker. Even in her sentencing, there is no mention of any military operations or conflict involving Ms. Azizi with any government or non-governmental entity in Iran.”

The undersigned human rights organizations demand the revocation of Pakhshan Azizi’s death sentence and her immediate and 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.

We also call on the international community—the UN, governments worldwide, and human rights organizations—to take immediate and effective action, to express their protest against this unjust death sentence against Ms. Azizi, condemn the executions in Iran that are carried out without due process or fair trials, and to address the severe and widespread violations of human rights by the Islamic Republic government. The global community should use all legal, political, and diplomatic mechanisms and capacities to prevent the issuance and execution of such inhumane sentences by Iran’s judiciary.

It is evident that the continued oppressive measures and issuance of heavy sentences, such as the death penalty for political and social activists, perpetuate the cycle of violence and human rights violations and increase the existing multifaceted discrimination and repression in Iran. Therefore, decisive and practical steps must be taken to halt this trend.

The undersigned human rights organizations firmly believe that the judicial process in the Islamic Republic is completely unjust and discriminatory, and therefore all death sentences must be immediately revoked.

While emphasizing the urgent need for the immediate revocation of Pakhshan Azizi’s death sentence and all other death sentences in Iran, we call for increased pressure on Iran’s judiciary by the global community, international human rights organizations, concerned citizens worldwide, and civil activists inside and outside Iran. Only through the synergy of forces and effective practical measures can we stop the systematic repression and unlawful punishments in Iran, and the Islamic Republic’s killing machine.

Aban Families for Justice

The Abdorrahman Boroumand Foundation

Ahwaz Human Rights Organisation (AHRO)

All Human Rights for All in Iran

Association for the Human Rights of the Azerbaijani People in Iran – AHRAZ

Baloch Campaign

Center For Human Rights in Iran (CHRI)

Femena

Hana, Human Rights Organization

Hawar Help

Hengaw, Organization for Human Rights

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO)