Execution of Pakhshan Azizi Halted Amid Strike by Kurdish Merchants

Following claims by state media regarding the "postponement" of Pakhshan Azizi's death sentence, the government news agency ISNA reacted by explaining that there are "different interpretations in the media" about the execution of this civil activist and social worker, stating that "no change has been made to the issued sentence." ISNA, without citing a source, wrote that based on its investigations, the "delay" in the execution of the death sentence "is only related to the normal process of judicial follow-ups." The official government news agency added that Pakhshan Azizi's lawyer "is in the process of appealing this case." However, Maziar Tataei, one of Pakhshan Azizi's lawyers, announced on social media that on Wednesday, January 23, while he and another lawyer, Amir Raeisian, were visiting the Supreme Court of the Islamic Republic, the "reviewing branch agreed to the request to halt the execution." Previously, the government news agency Tasnim, close to the Revolutionary Guards, claimed on Wednesday, January 23, that the execution of Pakhshan Azizi, a Kurdish activist and social worker, had been postponed. This media outlet reported that "according to news received from informed sources from the National Security Council (NSC) to Tasnim's reporter, the execution of Pakhshan Azizi has been postponed." Meanwhile, images released on Wednesday, January 22, indicate that merchants in Kurdish cities and the Sanandaj market, in response to a call from Kurdish parties to protest against the death sentences of Vrishe Moradi and Pakhshan Azizi, refrained from opening their shops and went on strike. In another video from a gathering of civil activists in Sanandaj against the death sentence of Pakhshan Azizi, a civil activist and social worker, one participant read a statement saying: "We have gathered here today to raise our voice against the blatant and unjust injustice." The statement continued by mentioning the services of this political prisoner, stating that "Pakhshan Azizi is a woman who dedicated her entire life to helping her fellow human beings, a social worker who stood among humanitarian crises and refugee camps for over a decade, a symbol of selfless service, resistance against despair, and a true representation of love and compassion. Pakhshan was not just a social worker but a beacon of hope for a thousand women." Following the protests in Kurdish cities against the death sentences of Pakhshan Azizi and Vrishe Moradi, shops in the center of Kermanshah also announced their closure on this day. Images of the strike in Saqez condemning the death sentences of Pakhshan Azizi and Vrishe Moradi were published on Wednesday. Merchants participating in these strikes led to the closure of several shops by security forces. Merchants in two other Kurdish cities, Divandere and Mahabad, also went on strike in condemnation of the death sentences of Pakhshan Azizi and Vrishe Moradi, not opening their shops. It is reported that in these cities, the striking shops were also sealed by agents. Additionally, the strike of merchants in Marivan joined the protests against the death sentences of Pakhshan Azizi and Vrishe Moradi, two political prisoners, expanding to other Kurdish cities. Ms. Azizi was sentenced to death and four years in prison on August 24 of this year by the 26th branch of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran, presided over by Iman Afshari, on charges of "rebellion through membership in opposition groups in the country." She was arrested last summer by the intelligence forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Tehran. The Deputy Special Representative of the United States for Iran called for the cancellation of Pakhshan Azizi's death sentence on Tuesday, January 16. Abram Paley stated in a message on social media that the U.S. demands the Iranian government revoke the death sentence of the aid worker after her "sham trial." Paley emphasized that the "Iranian regime" must stop targeting Kurdish minorities and using the death penalty to silence peaceful dissent. A group of United Nations experts also expressed their deep concern over the confirmation of Pakhshan Azizi's death sentence by the Supreme Court of the Islamic Republic of Iran in a statement on Tuesday, January 16. According to the website of the UN Human Rights Council, they wrote: "The charges against Ms. Pakhshan Azizi do not reach the level of the most serious crimes for which the death penalty is required under international law," and emphasized that "her death sentence constitutes a serious violation of international human rights laws." The confirmation of Pakhshan Azizi's death sentence, a Kurdish activist and social worker, has faced widespread domestic and international criticism. The United States, dozens of human rights organizations, political prisoners, Amnesty International, and a group of United Nations experts are among those protesting this sentence. A "No to Execution" rally in London was held to save the lives of Pakhshan Azizi and Vrishe Moradi. Government media claimed the "postponement" of Pakhshan Azizi's execution. Support from 3,400 activists for Pakhshan Azizi: she embodies our pains and aspirations. Female prisoners in Lakan prison in Rasht condemned the issuance of death sentences. The Syndicate of Workers of Tehran Bus Company: Execution sentences must be halted immediately. Several labor organizations and teachers called for the cancellation of Pakhshan Azizi's death sentence.