Over 26 rights organizations, including the Kurdistan Human Rights Network and Center for Human Rights in Iran, issued a joint statement Sept. 9 calling for the immediate revocation of the death sentence imposed on Kurdish women's rights activist Pakhshan Azizi. This sentence, handed down by the Iranian judiciary, has sparked international outrage, with the organizations calling it "a blatant violation of human rights principles and standards as well as international conventions and treaties."

Azizi, 40, was arrested by Iran's Ministry of Intelligence in Tehran on Aug. 4, 2023, and subsequently transferred to Evin Prison's Ward 209, a notorious facility known for housing political prisoners. She was held in solitary confinement for months, during which time she was allegedly subjected to torture, both physical and psychological, to coerce confessions. In July 2024, the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran sentenced her to death on charges of "armed insurrection" and "membership in opposition groups."

Her lawyers have maintained that Azizi has no involvement in any armed groups, emphasizing that she spent years working in displaced persons' camps in Syria's Rojava region, providing humanitarian aid to those displaced by ISIS violence. They further argue that her arrest, detention, and trial were marred by severe violations of due process, pointing to the forced confessions extracted under duress as evidence that the charges against her are fabricated.

Azizi's case is not unique but part of a broader pattern in Iran, where political dissidents, particularly from marginalized ethnic groups like the Kurds, are frequently targeted for their political activism.

The rights organizations' statement appealed to the international community to intervene:

We urge the United Nations, governments around the world, and human rights organizations to take immediate and effective action… The global community should use all legal, political, and diplomatic mechanisms to prevent the issuance and execution of such inhumane sentences by Iran's judiciary.

While there is potential for Iran to face diplomatic pressure, Iran's leadership has historically shown a reluctance to respond to external pressure, particularly on issues it frames as matters of internal security.

From Jurist, Sept. 11. Used with permission.