KURDISH ACTIVIST AT RISK OF IMMINENT EXECUTION [Iran Second UA 87.24]

Dear Mr. Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei,

Humanitarian aid worker and human rights defender, Pakhshan Azizi, 40, from Iran’s oppressed Kurdish ethnic minority, is at risk of imminent execution after Branch Nine of the Supreme Court rejected her request for judicial review on January 25, 2025. Her conviction, which included “armed rebellion against the state” (baghi), was solely in relation to her peaceful human rights and humanitarian activities.

According to informed sources, following her arrest in August 2023, Pakhshan Azizi was subjected to torture and other ill-treatment in order to compel her to make forced “confessions” of having ties to Kurdish opposition groups, which she repeatedly denied. Pakhshan Azizi’s trial in 2024 was grossly unfair. She was denied adequate time and facilities to prepare her defense. In addition, the courts have repeatedly failed to present any credible evidence of her alleged membership in Kurdish opposition groups.

I urge you to immediately halt any plans to execute Pakhshan Azizi, quash her conviction and death sentence, and release her immediately and unconditionally, as she is held solely for her peaceful humanitarian work and human rights activism. Pending her release, provide her with adequate healthcare and regular access to family and lawyers; protect her from further torture and other ill-treatment; and order an impartial investigation into her torture allegations, bringing anyone suspected of criminal responsibility to justice in fair trials without resort to the death penalty.

Yours sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]