100-Day Ban on Pakhshan Azizi's Visits with Lawyers and Family

The Pakhshan Azizi Freedom Campaign issued a statement on Tuesday, October 16, noting that "100 days have passed since her visitation ban." It stated: "Pakhshan Azizi has not had access to a fair trial and has been deprived of visits with her family and lawyers during this time." The campaign described Ms. Azizi's deprivation of these "basic human rights" as indicative of a "clear violation of human rights" in the Islamic Republic of Iran and pointed out that she was sentenced to death "due to her human rights and social activities." In the statement, members of the Pakhshan Azizi Freedom Campaign called for the cancellation of her death sentence and her immediate release, inviting "all human rights organizations and concerned individuals" to work for her freedom. Aso Azizi, Pakhshan Azizi's brother, told VOA that his sister was "banned from visits and contact" nearly two weeks before the death sentence was announced on July 24. He added: "After the sentence was announced, lawyers requested to meet with Pakhshan, but Judge Iman Afshari refused." Aso Azizi further noted that prior to this, unfortunately, Pakhshan's lawyers had not been able to meet with her because they had only accepted her case a few weeks earlier. In other words, from the time Pakhshan's lawyers could accept her case, they were not allowed any visits with her. Aso Azizi mentioned that about a month ago, phone calls for this imprisoned social worker were reestablished, but she still has not been allowed to meet with family members or her lawyers. Pakhshan Azizi was arrested on August 4, 2023, in Tehran. Several of her family members were also arrested at the same time and released after a few days of interrogation. Subsequently, she was accused in winter of the same year of "rebellion through membership in opposing groups" and was sentenced to death in June 2024. She and her defense lawyers have denied any involvement in armed operations. At that time, three of her family members were also sentenced to one year in prison each for what was described as "assisting the criminal in evading trial and conviction." This political prisoner, held in Evin Prison, is from Mahabad and is a graduate of social work from Allameh Tabatabai University. She was first arrested in November 2009 during a student protest against political executions and was released on bail of 100 million tomans on March 18, 2010. The issuance of a death sentence for Pakhshan Azizi and several other political prisoners by the judiciary of the Islamic Republic has led to many criticisms and condemnations. The deprivation of prisoners from visits or phone calls with family and defense lawyers has repeatedly been carried out by judicial and security officials of the Islamic Republic. In this context, HRANA reported on Monday, October 15, that Zeynab Jalalian, a political prisoner serving her seventeenth year of life imprisonment without separation of crimes in Yazd prison, has been "deprived of visits with her family since early October of this year." Additionally, human rights sources reported on Zeynab Jalalian's visitation deprivation. According to the news agency of the Human Rights Activists in Iran, a source close to the family of this political prisoner stated: "Ms. Jalalian has been deprived of visits with her family at the order of the Ministry of Intelligence." The source also mentioned the illnesses of this political prisoner, adding: "Zeynab, who suffers from eye, kidney, and gastrointestinal diseases, was recently transferred to the hospital with handcuffs and shackles due to severe pain in her side and was returned to prison after tests were conducted." Zeynab Jalalian was arrested in 2007 and two years later was sentenced to one year in prison for "illegal exit from the country" and to death for "moharebeh" for "membership in opposing groups." Her death sentence was confirmed in the appeals court and the Supreme Court, but was later changed to life imprisonment. Ms. Jalalian has repeatedly stated that during her detention, she was subjected to torture methods such as whipping on the soles of her feet, punches to the stomach, head slamming against the wall, and threats of rape.