Death Sentences Issued for 4 Baloch Prisoners and 'Baqi' Charges Against a Kurdish Social Worker

The human rights organization 'Hangaw' reported the issuance of death sentences for four Baloch prisoners and the possibility of a heavy sentence for Pakhshan Azizi, a journalist and social worker, charged with 'Baqi'. Hangaw identified the four Baloch citizens as 'Aido Shahbakhsh, Abdolghani Shahbakhsh, Abdolrahim Qanbarzahi Gorgij, and Soleiman Shahbakhsh', who were sentenced to death by the judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran on the charge of 'Baqi'. A notable point in Hangaw's report is that Soleiman Shahbakhsh was only 12 years old at the time of the alleged 'committed crime', making the sentence against him a case of sentencing a 'child offender'. According to this human rights organization, these four Baloch prisoners are held in Qazalhasar prison in Karaj and faced charges of 'forming and joining anti-revolutionary groups' by Branch 28 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Mohammad Reza Amouzad Khalili. The Baloch Activists Campaign also reported that Soleiman Shahbakhsh and Abdolrahim Qanbarzahi Gorgij were arrested in 2016 on charges of killing the head of the Basij base in Chah Zard named Nabi Qanbarzahi. Reports indicate that Aido Shahbakhsh and Abdolghani Shahbakhsh were arrested on security charges and were acquitted of the charges by Branch 1 of the Zahedan Revolutionary Court in 2016, only to be re-arrested after a few months. In another news, Pakhshan Azizi, a journalist, social worker, and former political prisoner of Kurdish descent, has also been charged with 'Baqi' by the judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran, raising concerns about the issuance of a death sentence against him. Pakhshan Azizi has been detained for the past 193 days and has been deprived of basic rights, including access to a lawyer. This Kurdish political activist was arrested on August 4, 2023, in Kharazi Town, Tehran, by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence. Azizi was previously arrested on November 16, 2009, during a protest by Kurdish students at Tehran University and was released after four months on a bail of 100 million tomans. In recent years, this political activist has been engaged in social work activities in the Kurdistan region of Iraq and Syrian Kurdistan. Reports indicate that the issuance of death sentences on charges of 'Baqi' has intensified in recent months. According to Islamic Penal Code in the Islamic Republic, the crime of 'Baqi' refers to actions taken by a group of individuals against the regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which can result in the death penalty or imprisonment depending on the use of weapons. The increase in death sentences for 'Baqi' in recent months includes Shahaab Nadali, a prisoner from Hamedan sentenced to death, a female political prisoner charged with 'Baqi' in Tehran's Public and Revolutionary Court, and the Supreme Court of the Islamic Republic confirming the death sentence of Youssef Ahmadi, a political prisoner. There are also concerns regarding the potential issuance of death sentences for three women in Iran charged with 'Baqi'. An annual report indicated that 659 people were hanged in Iran, with thousands awaiting execution. The Shiraz Revolutionary Court sentenced the first defendant in the 'Shahcheragh Attack' case to two death sentences, and two individuals related to the 'Shahcheragh Attack' case were executed in public.