The Iranian regime continues to intensify its crackdown on political dissent, as evidenced by the harrowing cases of Pakhshan Azizi, Varisha Moradi, and Sarvnaz Ahmadi. These reports detail the severe human rights abuses, including unjust sentencing, prolonged detention, and denial of medical care, faced by these political prisoners within the notorious Evin Prison in Tehran.
New Case Against Pakhshan Azizi for Alleged “Prison Riots”
Pakhshan Azizi, a political prisoner sentenced to death in Evin Prison in Tehran, has been charged with “rioting in prison” in a new case opened by the Third Branch of the Evin Prison Prosecutor’s Office. This accusation is related to events surrounding the second round of the Iranian presidential election held in June 2024.
On July 25, 2024, Pakhshan Azizi, a Kurdish political prisoner, journalist, and social work graduate, was sentenced to death by the Tehran Revolutionary Court after nearly a year in detention. The court found her guilty of “armed insurgency” (known as “bagh-ye”) due to her alleged membership in a Kurdish opposition party. Additionally, three members of her family were sentenced to imprisonment.
The death sentence was issued by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, which accused her of “armed insurgency” through her involvement with a Kurdish opposition party. Moreover, Azizi was sentenced to four years in prison for “membership in groups opposing the regime.”
This sentence was handed down despite Azizi being denied access to a lawyer and family visits during the eight months of her detention and interrogation. Her trial took place in May 2024, and the verdict was communicated to her lawyer on Tuesday, July 23, 2024.
Simultaneously, three of her family members were each sentenced to one year in prison for allegedly “assisting a criminal to evade prosecution and conviction.”