UN Special Rapporteur: Execution of Pakhshan Azizi Must Be Halted Immediately

Mai Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, expressed concern on Friday, February 8, over the rejection of Pakhshan Azizi's appeal for retrial, urging Iranian authorities to immediately stop her execution. Ms. Sato wrote on social media platform 'X': 'I am deeply concerned about reports regarding the rejection of the judicial review request for the conviction and death sentence of Pakhshan Azizi.' The UN Special Rapporteur emphasized: 'Her imminent execution violates human rights laws, and I urge Iranian officials to halt her execution immediately.' Previously, Amnesty International on Thursday, February 7, called on the international community to urgently demand that Iranian authorities stop the execution of Pakhshan Azizi. This international human rights organization stressed that Pakhshan Azizi was 'arbitrarily' detained by Iranian authorities due to her 'humanitarian activities' and was sentenced to death following a 'severely unfair trial.' Diana Tahavi, Deputy Director of Amnesty International for the Middle East and North Africa, reacted to reports about the rejection of Ms. Azizi's retrial request in the Supreme Court of the Islamic Republic, stating: 'Pakhshan Azizi was merely detained for her peaceful human rights activities, including providing humanitarian aid to women and children in northeastern Syria affected by attacks from armed groups like ISIS; instead of facing imminent execution, she should be released immediately and unconditionally.' According to Ms. Tahavi, the Supreme Court's decision to reject the retrial request 'once again shows how Iranian officials are determined to use the death penalty as a tool for political repression and instilling fear among the people.' The Iran Human Rights Organization described the issuance and confirmation of Ms. Azizi's death sentence as 'part of the Islamic Republic's policy of instilling fear following the nationwide protests of women, life, freedom,' and called on the international community to react to stop executions and to immediately revoke the sentence of this political prisoner. Mahmoud Amiri-Moghaddam, director of the Iran Human Rights Organization, stated: 'The reaffirmation of Pakhshan Azizi's death sentence, which has no legal legitimacy, shows that the government sees no alternative but to execute and further suppress.' He emphasized that 'the risk of executing Pakhshan is serious' and added: 'Only by raising the political cost through public protests and international pressure can executions be stopped.' The Iran Human Rights Campaign also noted that 'Pakhshan Azizi, a Kurdish political prisoner, was sentenced to death after an entirely unfair and non-transparent judicial process,' adding: 'After more than 14 years since the last execution of a female political prisoner in Iran, the Islamic Republic may once again commit a state murder by executing a female political prisoner.' The campaign urged the international community and countries committed to human rights and fundamental freedoms to 'immediately take a stand against this action by the Islamic Republic and demand the immediate halt of this brutal sentence by summoning the regime's diplomatic representatives.' Meanwhile, according to the campaign for the freedom of Pakhshan Azizi, approximately 646,000 people have signed a letter to the head of the judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran, demanding her release. According to statistics published on the 'Avaz' website, this letter addressed to Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei requested that 'the execution of Pakhshan Azizi be halted, her conviction be revoked, and she be released immediately and unconditionally.' The letter also called for 'the halt of all death sentences and the abolition of the death penalty in Iran.' The letter published on the Avaz website referred to Ms. Azizi's peaceful humanitarian and human rights activities, including support for women and children in Syrian refugee camps. Pakhshan Azizi was sentenced to death and four years in prison on July 24, 2024, by Branch 26 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran, presided over by Iman Afshari, on charges of 'rebellion through membership in opposing groups.' She was arrested on August 4, 2023, along with her father, sister, and sister's husband in Tehran. After about four months in solitary confinement at the Ministry of Intelligence detention center (Ward 209 of Evin Prison), she was transferred to the women's ward of this prison. According to the Iran Human Rights Organization website, security officials accused her of membership in groups that carry out armed activities against the Islamic Republic, but according to Pakhshan Azizi's lawyer, her humanitarian work 'in northern Syria in the Shangal refugee camp and other refugee camps from the ISIS war was peaceful and had no political aspect, focusing on aid to those attacked by ISIS.' Pakhshan Azizi had previously been arrested in 2009 due to political activities and was released on bail after four months. The United States had previously called for the cancellation of Pakhshan Azizi's death sentence, a Kurdish activist and social worker. A group of UN experts also expressed their deep concern on January 15, 2024, over the confirmation of Pakhshan Azizi's death sentence by the Supreme Court of the Islamic Republic of Iran. According to the UN Human Rights Council website, they wrote: 'The charges against Ms. Pakhshan Azizi do not amount to the most serious crimes necessary for the imposition of the death penalty under international law,' and emphasized that 'her death sentence constitutes a serious violation of international human rights law.' The confirmation of Pakhshan Azizi's death sentence has faced widespread domestic and international criticism. In this context, Kurdish cities in Iran witnessed widespread strikes by shopkeepers and markets on January 22 in protest against the issuance of the death sentence for Pakhshan Azizi and another civil activist, Varishe Moradi. The call for this strike was issued by Kurdish parties. A day after this general strike, the government-affiliated news agency Tasnim, close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, claimed that the execution of Pakhshan Azizi had been postponed. Protests against the death sentence of political prisoners have been reported, including a protest by Masoud Bidarigh, a boxer from Gilan, and a demonstration by the families of political prisoners sentenced to death in front of Evin Prison. Graffiti protests in Shahriar read: 'No to the execution of Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hasani.' Support for Jamsheed Azizi for Manouchehr Fallahi was shown by playing the song 'Bella Ciao' in front of Lakan Prison in Rasht. The Iran Human Rights Campaign stated that the international community must break its silence regarding executions. Warnings from Pakhshan Azizi's lawyer about the risk of execution: the retrial request was rejected. A statement from 1,200 activists and political prisoners: executions of women in Iran must be stopped. The campaign 'No to Execution Tuesdays' has expanded to 35 prisons.