UN Special Rapporteur Expresses Concern Over Confirmation of Death Sentence for Pakhshan Azizi

On Thursday, January 17, Maï Saïto, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, expressed concern over the confirmation of the death sentence for Pakhshan Azizi, a civil activist and social worker imprisoned in Evin Prison, by the Supreme Court of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Ms. Saïto, while reposting a statement from a group of UN experts on social media platform 'X' on Tuesday, January 16, referred to reports of Ms. Azizi's torture in solitary confinement and her deprivation of fair trial rights and access to a lawyer. She wrote that Pakhshan Azizi's case 'reflects broader harassment' of women activists from ethnic minorities. A group of UN experts expressed their deep concern over the confirmation of Ms. Azizi's death sentence in a statement on Tuesday. According to the UN Human Rights Council website, they stated: 'The charges against Ms. Pakhshan Azizi do not meet the threshold of the most serious crimes required under international law for the imposition of the death penalty' and emphasized that 'her death sentence constitutes a serious violation of international human rights law.' Additionally, it was noted that Ms. Azizi was sentenced to death and four years in prison on August 24 of this year by Branch 26 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran, presided over by Iman Afshari, on charges of 'rebellion through membership in opposition groups.' She was arrested last summer by the intelligence forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Tehran. UN experts pointed out that 'the detention and conviction of Ms. Azizi appears to be solely due to her legitimate activities as a social worker, including support for refugees in Iraq and Syria.' They expressed concern over reports of 'severe psychological and physical torture during her solitary confinement to extract confessions' as well as her deprivation of family visits and access to her chosen lawyer. These experts added that several members of Pakhshan Azizi's family have also been temporarily detained and faced national security charges, likely to pressure her into making forced confessions. They stated: 'The use of torture to extract confessions and deprivation of fair trial rights indicates the arbitrary and unlawful nature of the death sentence against Ms. Azizi.' In their statement, these experts expressed serious concern over the increasing issuance and execution of death sentences in the Islamic Republic of Iran, noting that the number of executions in Iran in 2024 has surpassed 900 cases, with an increase in the execution of women as well. They emphasized the necessity to halt executions that violate international law requirements and infringe upon fundamental rights and freedoms, adding: 'We are deeply concerned about the targeting of Kurdish women activists with fabricated political charges.' UN experts added: 'Ms. Azizi's case reflects the intensified harassment of women activists from ethnic minorities in Iran and the ongoing efforts to punish and silence them through a climate of intimidation.' They called on Iranian authorities to immediately revoke Pakhshan Azizi's death sentence and investigate the allegations of torture and violations of fair trial rights, as well as to end the harassment and targeting of women activists in Iran. The statement noted that these experts are in contact with the Iranian government regarding this issue. The confirmation of Pakhshan Azizi's death sentence by the Supreme Court has sparked widespread protests and criticisms. In this context, the Deputy Special Representative of the United States for Iran called on Tuesday for the revocation of Pakhshan Azizi's death sentence, a Kurdish activist and social worker. Abram Pili stated in a message on social media platform 'X' that the United States urges the Iranian government to revoke the death sentence of the humanitarian worker following her 'sham trial.' Pili emphasized that the 'Iranian regime' must stop targeting Kurdish minorities and using the death penalty to silence peaceful dissent. Civil activists gathered in Sanandaj in protest against Pakhshan Azizi's death sentence.