26 Human Rights Groups Denounce Iran’s Death Sentence Against Prominent Activist

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Iran must rescind its death sentence against Kurdish women’s rights activist and social worker Pakhshan Azizi, a group of 26 human rights organizations said in a joint statement this week. Agents from Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence had arrested the 39-year-old Azizi in August 2023 and jailed her in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison, where she was exposed to physical and psychological torture, including months of solitary confinement.

Branch 26 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Iman Afshari, charged Azizi with “rebellion,” which the news site Iran Wire describes as “a broad term used to describe various forms of political dissent and alleged armed resistance against the Islamic government.” However, Azizi has denied engaging in any violence, ultimately facing a trial devoid of due process, according to the joint statement.

“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,” the joint statement said.

Expert Analysis

“Tehran can dress itself up with a supposed reformist president all it wants, but moments like this remind us that it’s still the same brutal and dangerous regime pulling the strings.” — Richard Goldberg, FDD Senior Advisor

“Washington must not remain silent as the execution of Pakhshan Azizi looms. Instead, the U.S. Treasury Department should sanction Judge Iman Afshari and restore maximum economic pressure on the Islamic Republic.” — Tzvi Kahn, FDD Research Fellow and Senior Editor

Azizi’s Activism

The Islamic Republic previously arrested Azizi in 2009, incarcerating her for four months for participating in a student protest against the execution of prisoners in Kurdistan. In 2013, she left Iran for Iraqi Kurdistan due to threats from Iranian security services. According to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network, Azizi worked as a social worker to aid refugees during the ISIS attack against the Rojava region in northeastern Syria. The joint statement said that Azizi “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.”

Executions Surge

Azizi’s death sentence comes amid a surge of executions in Iran. According to the Oslo-based nonprofit Iran Human Rights, Tehran has executed 419 people in 2024 to date, including at least 100 in August alone. On August 9, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk issued a statement saying he is “extremely concerned” about the “alarmingly high number of executions in such a short period of time.” The developments come weeks after the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who has pledged to continue the longstanding policies of the Islamic Republic. His predecessor, the late Ebrahim Raisi, presided over a record number of executions while in office.

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