Pakhshan is at imminent risk of execution in Iran. She was arrested in August, 2023, in Tehran, while seeking medical treatment. During her detention, Pakhshan endured severe torture, including Mock Executions & was held in solitary confinement for months in Evin Prison.
Pakhshan is accused of "armed rebellion against the Islamic government", a charge solely based on reports from her interrogators—the very individuals responsible for torturing her. Her lawyer petitioned Iran’s Supreme Court to verify whether Pakhshan had ever been involved in armed conflicts or militant groups in the border regions with Iraq & Turkey. The court ignored this request.
Pakhshan’s only known activity during her time outside Iran was humanitarian aid work in Rojava refugee camps, where she assisted displaced people affected by ISIS conflicts from 2017 to 2021.
Multiple humanitarian organizations, including Medico International (Switzerland), the Syrian Red Crescent, & the Shams Organization For Rehabilitation & Development, have confirmed that her sole work in Rojava involved social services & support for war victims.
Shockingly, within 48 hours of her death sentence being upheld by the Supreme Court, it was sent to the execution office, signaling the urgency with which Iranian authorities are moving to carry out her sentence. This expedited process is unprecedented, even in Iran’s judicial system.
#PakhshanAzizi is a social worker & women's rights activist. She graduated from the Allameh Tabataba'i University in Social Work. She is a humanitarian, not a criminal. Now, her life is in grave danger, and her case is another tragic example of state repression against women's activists.
We call on the international community, human rights organizations, & governments worldwide to urgently intervene and demand a halt to her execution.
