Human Rights Organizations: Death Sentences for Political Prisoners in Iran Should Be Revoked

A number of Iranian and international human rights organizations issued a joint statement on Wednesday, December 7, condemning the death sentences for political prisoners Pakhshan Azizi and Varisheh Moradi, both imprisoned in Evin Prison, and calling for the immediate revocation of death sentences for all political prisoners in Iran. The statement from 18 human rights organizations highlights a new wave of executions in the Islamic Republic of Iran following the "Women, Life, Freedom" uprising, aimed at "creating terror and fear," stating: "This time, the suppression of women and the Kurdish people, two important and steadfast pillars of the struggle, has become the focus of this oppressive system." According to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network, a signatory of the statement, "In this new period, brave women and men like Varisheh Moradi and Pakhshan Azizi have been sentenced to death without fair trials and based on unjust and fabricated charges." The statement warns: "Today, Varisheh Moradi and Pakhshan Azizi, two Kurdish women who represent years of struggle against the repression and systematic oppression of the Islamic Republic, are at risk of execution." The signatories emphasized: "The fight against a regime that views women merely as tools for patriarchal power and considers women who do not bow to this regime as a significant threat reminds Iranian society and all freedom-seekers of the importance of fighting to stop these executions." The 18 human rights organizations noted that the Islamic Republic "will never be able to balance its foreign political crisis by sacrificing the struggling community of Iran and Kurdistan." They further added that in the judicial cases against Varisheh Moradi and Pakhshan Azizi, "like many other political prisoners, the right to a fair trial has been repeatedly violated." The statement continues: "These women fighters have not only been deprived of the right to access a lawyer but have also been subjected to severe pressures and inhumane torture for forced confessions." The signatory human rights organizations protested this "inhumane process," demanding the immediate revocation of the death sentences for Varisheh Moradi, Pakhshan Azizi, and all political prisoners, emphasizing: "These executions will undoubtedly have severe consequences for the Islamic Republic regime. Every drop of blood from these women will leave an unforgettable wound on the body of the regime's oppressor and serve as a renewed motivation for the struggling community of Iran." The statement was signed by various organizations including the International Education Development, the Human Rights Defenders Center, the American PEN Association, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network, the Ahvaz Human Rights Organization, the Coalition Against the Death Penalty, the Baluch Activists Campaign, the Abdolrahman Boroumand Foundation for Human Rights in Iran, the Siamak Pourzand Foundation, Human Rights Iran, Ahraz, the Organization for Unity for Iran, the Atlas of Iranian Prisons, and Mehrangiz Kar.