What We Know About Pakhshan Azizi's Life and Case, the Social Worker Sentenced to Death

Pakhshan Azizi, who was only known as a "volunteer social worker" at the time of her arrest, has been sentenced to death after 11 months of temporary detention. She is the second woman recently facing the death penalty on charges of "baghi" (rebellion). The Iranian government's justification for such a ruling is Article 287 of the Islamic Penal Code, which states that a group that "rebels against the foundation of the Islamic Republic of Iran through armed uprising" is considered rebellious, and its members can be sentenced to death if they use weapons. Recently, on July 14, it was also announced that Sharifeh Mohammadi, a labor rights activist from Miandoab residing in Rasht, has been sentenced to death on similar charges. Pakhshan Azizi's background includes her first arrest in 2009 during a protest by Kurdish students at Tehran University against the execution of Ehsan Fattahian (a political prisoner in Kurdistan). After four months in detention, she was released on bail. At that time, she was a student of social work at Allameh Tabatabai University in Tehran and had previously collaborated with NGOs focusing on women's issues. Pakhshan was part of the first group in Iran that systematically researched "female circumcision" in 2008. During this period, she, along with a group of women's rights activists in Iraqi Kurdistan, obtained significant information with the help of NGOs and the then-government of the Kurdistan Region, working on a project supported by Iran's Welfare Organization. A former cellmate of Pakhshan Azizi described her as "a passionate and professional girl in the field of social work". This former political prisoner told Radio Farda, "Pakhshan was very capable in theoretical sociology discussions, and we knew her for her humor and high energy. When it was decided she would be released on bail, she was very upset about leaving us behind." After completing her studies, Pakhshan Azizi went to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to continue her social work with women and children. In the fall of 2014, she went to northern Syria and the city of Qamishli to assist in refugee camps. In a letter to a friend, she wrote from Qamishli in December 2014, "I have been here for a month and a half. This place is really a place for activity. The people are poor, and you don't receive any money for work and activities." She had no military involvement and went to refugee camps to help women and children in distress. In her correspondence, she also expressed, "I am happy that I am not working here for money. This place is like a school for gaining experience in activity and life." The 26th branch of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Afshari, sentenced Pakhshan Azizi to death and four years in prison on the charge of "baghi", meaning she was accused of being a member of opposition groups. A reliable source, who wished to remain anonymous, told Radio Farda that the basis for this charge mentioned in the court's ruling was merely "Pakhshan Azizi's presence in Rojava/Syrian Kurdistan". Earlier, Pakhshan had reported in a letter from Evin Prison about the violent treatment by security forces during her interrogation and mentioned that working in refugee camps could be the greatest ethical service to a society that has been oppressed for years. She questioned, "Is everyone there a member of the PKK?" Pakhshan returned to Iran in the summer of 2023 after about ten years to visit her family and was violently arrested in the early hours of August 4 along with her father and two other family members by a large number of security forces. In a letter published by the media outlet Kurdpa, she mentioned that her hands were tied behind her back, and a gun was pointed at her head. Three other family members of Pakhshan Azizi, including her father, who had recently undergone cancer surgery, were each sentenced to one year in prison during this case and arrest in August 2023. Human Rights Watch: Medical professionals should start with halting death sentences to create "real changes". The reference to armed groups in Syrian Kurdistan and their attribution to PJAK and PKK comes at a time when during the war between Kurdish forces and ISIS, the People's Protection Units and other forces close to the PKK cooperated closely with other governments, including the United States, Russia, and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Mazloum Abdi (Kobani), a senior military commander in Syrian Kurdistan and the commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, even expressed condolences for the death of Ibrahim Raisi, the President of Iran, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Many civil activists inside and outside the country describe the issuance of death sentences for civil activists, including Sharifeh Mohammadi and Pakhshan Azizi, as an extrajudicial policy aimed at creating intimidation. Pakhshan Mohammadi is the second woman in the past month to be sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Courts of the Islamic Republic on charges of "baghi". Simultaneously, Varisheh Moradi is also awaiting a ruling from the 15th branch of the Revolutionary Court on similar charges.