UN Special Rapporteur: The Case of Pakhshan Azizi Reflects the Harassment of Women Activists from Minorities

Mai Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, expressed deep concern over the confirmation of Pakhshan Azizi's death sentence by the Iranian Supreme Court. On Friday morning, January 28, she wrote on social media platform X that, according to reports, Pakhshan Azizi 'has been subjected to torture in solitary confinement and has been deprived of a fair trial and access to a lawyer.' The UN Special Rapporteur described Pakhshan Azizi's case as 'reflective of the broader harassment of women activists from minorities' in Iran. Three days earlier, Mai Sato, along with several independent human rights experts, had also expressed concern over the confirmation of Pakhshan Azizi's sentence by the Iranian Supreme Court. According to a statement from these experts, the charges against Pakhshan Azizi do not meet the minimum standards and threshold for 'the most serious crimes' under international law regarding the death penalty, and 'her death sentence constitutes a serious violation of international human rights law.' The statement also emphasized that the use of torture to obtain confessions and the deprivation of fair trial rights have rendered the sentence against Ms. Azizi 'arbitrary.' The Tehran Revolutionary Court sentenced Pakhshan Azizi to death on charges of 'baghy' for her membership in groups that have engaged in armed rebellion against the Islamic Republic, and her brother informed Radio Farda that this sentence has been swiftly sent for execution. According to the UN experts' statement, Ms. Azizi's conviction appears to be solely related to her legal activities as a social worker and her support for refugees in Iraq and Syria. The issuance of a death sentence for Pakhshan Azizi has sparked a wave of protests both inside and outside Iran, including numerous messages from families of victims and current and former political prisoners. Pakhshan Azizi's father stated: 'Support justice; my daughter is just a social worker.' Zahra Rahnavard, a leader of the Green Movement who is under house arrest, referred to Pakhshan Azizi as a 'free social worker' and urged the rulers of the Islamic Republic to revoke her death sentence and release her. Ms. Rahnavard expressed hope that this action would be 'a beginning that once and for all opens the doors of prisons and brings all freedom activists back to the embrace of society.' She called for the release of women imprisoned in Iranian jails as a priority of this movement.