Iran’s Supreme Court rejects retrial for Kurdish woman sentenced to death

Iran’s Supreme Court rejected a motion for a retrial in the case of Pakhshan Azizi, a Kurdish political prisoner and humanitarian worker on death row, her lawyer said on Thursday, sparking fears among rights groups that her execution is imminent.

In a post on X, Azizi's lawyer Amir Raisian said they will submit another retrial request and appeal to the judiciary chief in a final effort to halt the sentence.

Azizi was arrested in August 2023 and sentenced to death for “armed rebellion against the state”, or baghi, following a trial before a Revolutionary Court in Tehran in July last year.

Rights groups say her conviction is politically motivated and linked to her humanitarian work, including assisting women and children displaced by Islamic State attacks in northeast Syria.

Reacting to the Supreme Court’s decision, Amnesty International’s deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa, Diana Eltahawy, urged the international community to act immediately to stop her execution.

“The Iranian authorities must halt the execution of arbitrarily detained humanitarian aid worker Pakhshan Azizi, who was sentenced to death following a grossly unfair trial,” Eltahawy said.

She added that the case highlights how Iran uses the death penalty as a tool of political repression and highlighted allegations that Azizi was tortured and subjected to gender-based violence in detention.

“The death penalty is abhorrent in all circumstances, but imposing it after a grossly unfair trial … shows the Iranian authorities’ shameless disregard for the right to life,” she said.

Amnesty International has called on governments worldwide to speak out urgently to stop Azizi’s execution.