پخشان Activists Call for Suspension of Pakhshan Azizi’s Death Sentence

Over 120 Kurdish civil rights, human rights, and political activists have demanded the suspension of Pakhshan Azizi's death sentence and called for a review of her case.

The activists say that such severe sentencing exacerbates existing societal tensions and widens the divide between citizens and government authorities. 

They added in a statement that capital punishment is against "rational, customary, legal, or jurisprudential standards" and warned it would only deepen public dissatisfaction amid ongoing national crises.

Azizi, a resident of Mahabad, was arrested by security forces in Tehran on August 4, 2023, and subsequently transferred to Ward 209 of Evin Prison.

She was previously detained by security forces on November 16, 2009, and released on bail after four months.

Last week, Iran’s Supreme Court upheld her death sentence despite significant procedural concerns raised by her legal team, according to her lawyer Amir Raisian.

Branch 39 of the Supreme Court confirmed the verdict, which includes an additional four-year prison term, without addressing what Raisian described as numerous procedural and flaws in the case.

The original sentence was issued by Tehran’s Revolutionary Court on charges of “armed rebellion through membership in opposition groups.”