Amid mounting efforts to save two Kurdish women socio-political activists, Warisheh Moradi and Pakhshan Azizi, from execution, 18 Iranian and international human rights organisations have issued a joint statement demanding the immediate cancellation of their death sentences. Similarly, 150 women activists in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) have written to Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid, urging him to intervene on the women’s behalf.
The joint statement highlights the aftermath of the 2022 Jin, Jiyan, Azadî (Woman, Life, Freedom) uprising, noting the Iranian regime’s increased oppression against women and Kurdish people, who are two of the key pillars of resistance to its rule. It asserts that brave women like Warisheh Moradi and Pakhshan Azizi, falsely accused and sentenced to death, face systematic persecution for their unwavering fight against the Islamic Republic’s repressive policies. The statement calls on Iranian society and freedom advocates worldwide to intensify efforts to halt these executions, stressing the importance of resisting a regime that weaponises patriarchal oppression against women who refuse submission.
In parallel, women activists, politicians, journalists, and academics in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region (KRI) launched a campaign titled ‘End Executions of Women in Struggle’, to amplify the call for justice for Moradi and Azizi. As part of this campaign, activists sent letters not only to the Iraqi president but also to the European Union and international human rights organisations, urging them to apply pressure to stop the executions.
The letter to President Abdul Latif Rashid emphasised both national and humanitarian responsibilities, stating:
“We call upon you to take immediate action to overturn the unjust sentences imposed on activists Warisheh Moradi and Pakhshan Azizi. In doing so, let us honour the legacy of the late President Mam Jalal Talabani, whose unwavering commitment to the cause of freedom in Kurdistan remains a guiding inspiration”.
Copies of the letter were also distributed to other prominent political figures, including the president’s wife, Shanaz Ibrahim Ahmed, alongside key members of Iraqi and Kurdish parties, to garner broader political backing. The signatories also affirmed that the appeal had been submitted to the European Parliament and international human rights organisations, aiming to secure global attention for this pressing humanitarian concern.
Moradi and Azizi, two prominent Kurdish socio-political activists from Iranian Kurdistan (Rojhilat), were detained by the security forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 2023 and subsequently sentenced to death. The evidence against them has been widely discredited.
In response, a broad, global advocacy campaign has been underway to halt the execution of these activists, highlighting the injustice that they face.
