Pakhshan Azizi's Fellow Prisoners Demand Immediate Action to Halt His Execution

Seven political prisoners who share a cell with Pakhshan Azizi condemned the death sentence issued for this Kurdish civil activist in a statement and called for immediate action to save him. Pakhshan Azizi had previously worked as a social worker in Syrian Kurdistan, helping refugees fleeing the war with ISIS. These seven female prisoners stated in their statement that being present in war zones and providing aid to women and children affected by war, while enduring the dangers of areas surrounded by ISIS forces, is not a crime but rather commendable, and the response to it should not be a death sentence. Golrokh Iraei, Nahid Khodajoo, Varisheh Moradi, Maryam Yahyavi, Reyhaneh Ansari, Sekineh Parvaneh, and Nasrin Khazri Javadi, the political prisoners who share a cell with Pakhshan Azizi and signatories of this statement, have urged the international community to act before it is too late to prevent the execution of this prisoner held in Evin prison. According to human rights websites including HRANA, Pakhshan Azizi's case, a political prisoner sentenced to death, has been sent to the Supreme Court three weeks ago and is awaiting a final decision from this judicial authority. Previously, female prisoners have repeatedly gone on hunger strikes in protest against death sentences, including Pakhshan Azizi's. Several social and student activists also recently issued a statement protesting the death sentence for Pakhshan Azizi, viewing it as part of the 'suppression of various groups including women and ethnic minorities' and aimed at 'dampening their protests.' Pakhshan Azizi, a graduate in social work, has been imprisoned since August 2023. In early August, Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Iman Afshari, sentenced him to death on charges of 'Baghi' or armed rebellion, through 'membership in groups that have engaged in armed uprising against the Islamic government.' He has been deprived of visits with his family and lawyers since July 6 of this year. In September, 26 human rights organizations issued a joint statement strongly condemning the death sentence for Pakhshan Azizi, deeming it a 'clear violation of human rights principles and standards.' The Association of Families of Victims of Aban, Iran Human Rights Organization, Abdorrahman Boroumand Foundation, Justice for Iran, and the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, among the signatories of this statement, emphasized the unfairness of the judicial process in Iran and called on international bodies, human rights organizations, and the global community to take immediate and effective action to express their opposition to this sentence and the widespread human rights violations by the Islamic Republic government. In a letter published on the Hengaw website, Pakhshan Azizi detailed the torture he endured during interrogation, stating that he had been 'hanged multiple times by interrogators.'