Reports from Iran and Rojhilat (Iranian Kurdistan) indicate that another Kurdish political prisoner, Pakhshan Azizi, has been prevented from meeting her family or accessing a phone.
This restriction from Evin Prison’s security authorities has been in place for the past two weeks and persisted until yesterday. Efforts by her family to obtain information about her situation have been unsuccessful, according to sources close to them.
Azizi’s isolation began on 4 August 2023, when she was arrested by Iranian intelligence forces in Tehran’s Kharazi town. She was held in solitary confinement in Ward 209 of Evin Prison before being transferred to the women’s ward on 11 December. According to sources close to her family, Azizi has been subjected to torture and pressure from security authorities to force a televised confession.
The Kurdish activist’s interrogation took place in the fifth branch of the Evin Security Prosecutor’s Office. Following the accusation of membership in a Kurdish political party (PJAK), her case was sent to Branch 26 of the Tehran Islamic Revolution Court, headed by Judge Iman Afshari. Like Warisheh Moradi (Joanna Sine), Azizi faces the charge of being a “baaghi” (rebel).
Azizi, originally from Mahabad in Iranian Kurdistan, was first arrested on 16 November 2009 during a Kurdish student protest at Tehran University against the execution of political prisoners in Kurdistan. After being released on bail on 19 March 2010, she left Iran due to ongoing pressure and threats from intelligence agencies.
In the time between leaving Iran and her arrest, she focused on studying the situation of women in Iraqi Kurdistan and Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava) and engaged in social work to help improve their conditions.
