The World March of Women’s Middle East and North Africa (WMW MENA) chapter has condemned Iran’s death sentence against Kurdish activist Warisheh Moradi (Werîşe Muradî), characterising it as part of a systematic campaign to silence women activists demanding justice and equality.
In a statement released on 10 November, the organisation emphasised that Moradi’s case exemplifies the broader pattern of state violence against women activists in Iran and Kurdistan. “In many countries around the world, women suffer from organized violence systematically implemented by authoritarian regimes striving to consolidate power by silencing free voices and crushing the popular will,” the statement said.
Moradi, arrested for participating in the ‘Jin Jiyan Azadi’ (Woman, Life, Freedom) uprising in August 2023, has endured severe psychological and physical torture during her detention. “[Warisheh] Moradi is a brave feminist activist in the field of defending women’s rights, which Iran considers a threat to its oppressive Islamic regime,” the organisation explained.
The WMW MENA called for immediate action from human rights organisations worldwide to pressure for the annulment of death sentences against detained activists and an end to systematic violence. “We will continue to fight for their right to live in freedom and dignity and will not stop until justice prevails and oppression is lifted from women,” the statement affirmed.
The organisation also expressed concern about violence against women in conflict zones across the MENA region, including Palestine, Yemen, Sudan, Lebanon, Libya and Afghanistan. In these regions, “the lives of innocent women and children are destroyed, paying a heavy price under oppression and ruin,” the statement concluded.
