Multiple international petitions are calling for the immediate release of Kurdish women’s rights activist Pakhshan Azizi and protesting the death sentences imposed on her and fellow activist Sharifeh Mohammadi in Iran.
The latest campaign, “Freedom for Pakhshan Azizi,” launched on 1 August 2024, has already gathered nearly 14,000 signatures, complementing a previous global campaign that secured 36,000 signatures.
The earlier campaign, organised by the Women’s Press Union (YRJ) in North and East Syria, targeted the death sentences of both Azizi and Mohammadi. Launched on 12 August 2024, it drew widespread support from across the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, culminating in nearly 36,400 signatures by its conclusion on 26 August. The YRJ plans to submit these signatures to international organisations such as the International Federation of Journalists, Human Rights Watch and Reporters Without Borders, aiming to increase pressure on the Iranian government to overturn the death sentences.
In their statement, the activists who launched the campaign noted that on 1 August they issued a written appeal urging all opponents of the death sentence—regardless of their political views—to sign the petition protesting the sentence. They emphasised that this movement does not seek justice from the Islamic Republic, as the people of this land have long recognised that their struggles have not been addressed by the government, which remains solely focused on preserving its own interests. Instead, the petition amplifies the voices of thousands opposing the death penalty, advocating for life and resistance.
To date, three campaigns have been launched by activists to protest and seek the cancellation of Azizi’s death sentence. The campaigns highlight that Azizi’s death sentence is a clear example of the severe repression of women’s rights activists in Iran. Azizi’s peaceful efforts and support for women in Rojava (Syrian Kurdistan), who were under oppression and torture by ISIS forces and faced the threat of abduction and rape like the women of Sinjar (Şengal), are commendable and deserving of praise. Pakhshan should be honoured for this work and not punished.
In response to the death sentence imposed on this Kurdish activist, the French PEN Association, supported by the “Women, Life, Freedom Movement” in Iran, has previously advocated for the cancellation of the death sentence against the imprisoned journalist and civil rights activist Pakhshan Azizi.
Maryam Yahiyawi, a female inmate at Evin Prison, recently wrote in a letter that Pakhshan Azizi’s death sentence is a form of revenge against women, Kurdistan, and dissidents—particularly those who have courageously supported the Jin, Jiyan, Azadi (Women, Life, Freedom) movement. In another part of her letter, Yahiyawi described how Azizi sang the hymn “Serhildan Jiyane, Berxwedan Jiyane” (Resistance is Life, Uprising is Life) for the imprisoned women following the issuing of her death sentence.
Pakhshan Azizi, a graduate of the Department of Social Work at Allameh Tabatabaei University in Tehran, was arrested on 4 August 2023. On 23 July 2024, she was sentenced to death by Branch 26 of Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Court on charges of “Baghi” (rebellion). Her lawyers have identified serious legal deficiencies in her case, arguing that her activities do not meet the criteria for “rebellion” and that she was denied a fair trial.
