We, the undersigned organizations, call on the Iranian judiciary to revoke the death sentences of Pakhshan Azizi, Varisheh Moradi, and others on death row. We demand fair trials and emphasize that the death penalty is an inhumane form of punishment and an outright breach of human rights that must be abolished from Iran’s legal system.
On February 2, 2025, Pakhshan Azizi’s lawyers announced that Iran’s Supreme Court had rejected her request for a retrial, and her case had been referred for implementation. Azizi’s death sentence was previously upheld by an appeals court on January 8, 2025. However, following protests and strikes in the Kurdish region of Iran, one of her lawyers, Maziar Tataei, announced on January 22, 2025, that the Supreme Court had halted her execution after a retrial request was filed.
Pakhshan Azizi, an Kurdish-Iranian social worker convicted of “armed activities against the Islamic Republic.” Azizi, a native of the Mahabad in Iran’s West-Azerbaijan Province and a graduate from Allameh Tabataba’i University in Tehran, was arrested on August 4, 2023. Since then, she has been detained in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison, where she has endured significant hardships, including physical and psychological abuse, denial of family visits, and severely restricted access to legal counsel.
Azizi was sentenced to death on charges of membership in armed political groups opposed to the Islamic Republic. However, her lawyers have consistently argued that her activities in Syria as a social worker aiding women and children displaced by ISIS-related conflicts were purely humanitarian. Letters from various humanitarian and non-governmental organizations operating in northern Syria corroborate these claims and confirm her role as a relief worker. Despite this evidence, state-affiliated media outlets maintain that she entered the country intending to disrupt order and incite unrest at universities around the anniversary of the Woman, Life, Freedom (WLF) protests sparked by Mahsa Jina Amini’s death. The claim centers on intentions rather than actual criminal acts at the time of her arrest, raising further doubts about the fairness of her trial.
Varisheh Moradi, another Kurdish political prisoner, has also been sentenced to death by the Iranian judiciary on similar charges of affiliation with armed groups opposing the regime. Her case remains under appeal.
Amid growing fears of her imminent execution, Pakhshan Azizi, received a temporary reprieve on January 22nd. This followed a public protest by women’s groups and a strike by businesses in the Kurdish region of Iran, who protested against the death sentences issued in the case of Pakhshan Azizi and Varisheh Moradi. The women’s protest was organized by women’s rights activists in the city of Sanandaj in Western Iran.
Another prisoner in danger of execution is Mojahed (Abbas) KourKouri, who was detained during the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests and recently had his death sentence reinstated after a previous Supreme Court reversal. Furthermore, Mehdi Hassani and Behrouz Ehsani, arrested during the “Woman, Life, Freedom” uprising, have had their death sentences upheld. They have been recently transferred to solitary confinement in Ghezel Hesar prison, a common precursor to execution.
In protest against the growing number of death sentences, prisoners across Iran have initiated weekly hunger strikes under the banner of the “Tuesdays Against the Death Penalty” campaign. The movement has spread to 34 prisons across the country, with participation growing each week.
We, the undersigned organizations, strongly urge Iranian authorities to drop all charges against Pakshan Azizi and release her. We further urge Iranian authorities to overturn the death sentences against Varisheh Moradi, Mojahed (Abbas) KourKouri, Mehdi Hassani and Behrouz Ehsani as well as others sentenced to death.
As organizations committed to human rights, we once again reiterate our opposition to the death penalty as we view it as a violation of human rights, in particular the right to life and the right to live free from torture or cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment. We stand in solidarity with the Iranian prisoners’ weekly hunger strike against the death penalty in Iran and urge the international community to intensify pressure on the Iranian government to abolish this inhumane practice.
Signatories:
- Collaborative for Peace in Sudan
- مؤسسة من حقي لتمكين المرأه سياسيا واقتصاديا اليمن
- بنت النيل
- Belgrade Feminist Forum, Serbia
- PEACE SHE LEADER NETWORK
- Psychosocial Counseling Center for Women (PSCCW)
- NoPhotoZone
- Rawadari
- Women’s Voice team
- Women in Black Brighton
- International Action Network for Gender Equity & Law (IANGEL)
- Qarar Foundation for Media and Development
- The Regional Coalition for Women Human Rights Defenders in South West Asia and North Africa (WHRDMENA)
- Human Security Initiative
- Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR)
- Doria Feminist Fund
- Women Living Under Muslim Laws
- بحيريات
- New Woman Foundation
- CIVICUS: Global Alliance
- Sentinel for Human Rights
- Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition
- HuMENA for Human Rights and Civic Engagement
- Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice
- Women for Women’s Human Rights – New Ways
- International Women’s Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific (IWRAW AP)
- Sudanese Women’s Health Organization
- Kurdistan Human Rights Network
- Middle East Democracy Center (MEDC)
- Harassmap MENA
- Takatoat
- Femena
