Iranian, Kurdish and international organisations continue to send messages of protest and discontent against the upholding of the death sentence against Kurdish woman Pakhshan Azizi in Iran. A demonstration was held in Sanandaj (Sine), Iran to protest against the decision. The protests and messages drew attention to the seriousness of the sentence, handed down without evidence, and the persecution of women activists in Iran.
Azizi’s death sentence for being a member of the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK) was confirmed by the Iranian Supreme Court on 8 January. The sentence had originally been handed down by the Revolutionary Court in Tehran on 24 July. However, legal observers noted that the upheld sentence suffered from significant procedural flaws and ignored evidence of her peaceful humanitarian work.
A group of UN independent human rights experts said on Tuesday that “the charges against Ms Pakhshan Azizi do not meet the threshold of the ‘most serious crimes’ required under international law for the death penalty. Her death sentence constitutes a grave violation of international human rights law”. The group also stressed that “Ms Azizi’s arrest and sentencing appear to be solely related to her legitimate work as a social worker, including her support for refugees in Iraq and Syria”.
The co-chair of the Syrian-based Democratic Union Party (PYD), Perwin Yûsif, analysed the reasons for the death sentence. “The death sentence against Pakhshan Azizi is a symbol of the systematic oppression of freedom-loving and activist Kurdish women,” she said, linking the sentence to women’s struggle for freedom. “We in the PYD strongly condemn this unjust verdict and reiterate our solidarity with Pakhshan and all those who are fighting for freedom and justice”.
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The Austrian women’s organisation Iranian Women’s Forum (Forum Iranischer Frauen or FIF) has reacted to the death sentence by highlighting the will of women to fight and organise for their rights. “Once again the Iranian regime shows its mentality with the sentencing of Pakhshan Azizi. […] The Iranian regime must know that this kind of sentence does not reduce the just and democratic will of the people, on the contrary, it strengthens it.”
In Iran, mobilisations and statements from all sections of society continue. On Monday, in Sanandaj, the capital of the Kurdistan province of Iran, women, families and relatives of political prisoners gathered to protest the decision. “All Kurdish people must stand united against the death sentence of Pakhshan Azizi. She is in danger from the Iranian officials who want to take away her life,” they stated. On Wednesday, women demonstrators gathered in front of the Sanandaj Municipality and praised Azizi for her humanitarian work and sacrifices to help other people, including victims of war.
On Wednesday, a group of 42 religious teachers in Iran issued a statement opposing the death sentences of both Azizi and Warisheh Moradi. “We, like 42 wise and religious teachers of Iranian Kurdistan, want the death sentence on Pakhshan Azizi and Warisheh Moradi issued in an unjust way to be cancelled,” they said.
Over the past days, several human rights organisations have objected to Azizi’s sentence. Moreover, 68 human and women’s rights organisations from Iran and Iranian Kurdistan signed a joint petition calling for Azizi’s death sentence to be overturned.
