• Free Pakhshan Azizi

We, the undersigned, strongly condemn the death sentence of Pakhshan Azizi and call for her immediate release.

Pakhshan Azizi, a graduate of the Department of Social Work at Allameh Tabatabaei University in Tehran, Iran, and a Kurdish female activist, was arrested on August 4, 2023, and sentenced to death on July 25, 2024, by Branch 26 of Tehran's Islamic Revolutionary Court on charges of "Baghi" (rebellion). Her lawyers have highlighted significant legal deficiencies in her case, asserting that her activities do not constitute "rebellion" and that she was deprived of a fair trial.

Previously arrested in 2009 during a protest at Tehran University, Pakhshan was released after four months. She continued her social work and women's rights activities in the Kurdistan Regional Government and later volunteered at a war refugee camp in northern Syria during the ISIS offensive.

In a letter from Evin prison, she wrote: “A dream that does not differentiate between Syria, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Afghanistan, Gaza, and other countries is genuine freedom.” Her dream of coexistence and lasting peace in the Middle East has driven her journey from Mahabad to Tehran, Sulaymaniyah, and Qamishli, consistently supporting victims and marginalized groups beyond borders.

We see Pakhshan Azizi as a sincere humanitarian. Her death sentence is unjust, and we demand its immediate and unconditional reversal. We also reaffirm our absolute opposition to the death penalty for any individual, regardless of their political or non-political status.