The interrogation process of Pakshan Azizi does not align with fair trial standards: limited access to a lawyer, prolonged solitary confinement, pressure for forced confessions, and repeated rejection of retrial requests without reviewing records are all examples of violations of the defendant’s fundamental rights.
Iran Human Rights Society, Tuesday, June 24, 2025 – The Supreme Court of Iran has rejected Pakshan Azizi’s second request for a retrial, finalizing her death sentence. The lawyers of this social worker and women’s rights advocate assert that the highest judicial authority did not even review the trial records and dismissed their defense as “baseless,” a decision that significantly increases the likelihood of imminent execution and has sparked a wave of human rights reactions both inside and outside Iran.
Second Retrial Request Rejected Without Case Review
Mazyar Tataei, a member of Pakshan Azizi’s legal team, wrote on June 12 on the X platform: “The Supreme Court branch handling the case rejected the retrial request again without requesting the trial records.” He described this action as indicative of a lack of transparency and a denial of the right to a fair trial. Earlier, in February 2025, Amir Raeesian—another lawyer on the case—had announced that the first retrial request was rejected by the Ninth Branch of the Supreme Court, stating that “the risk of execution is present at any moment.”
Judicial Process: From Arrest to Sentencing
Pakshan Azizi was arrested on August 4, 2023, in Kharazi Township, Tehran. After several weeks of interrogation in an intelligence detention center, she was transferred to Ward 209 and later to the women’s ward of Evin Prison. According to informed sources, she faced intense pressure during this period to make televised confessions. In the winter of that year, Branch 5 of the Security Court charged her with “rebellion through membership in opposition groups.”
Court hearings were held on May 29 and June 17, 2024, in Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Iman Afshari. The judge, citing the charge of rebellion, issued a death sentence along with four years of imprisonment. Despite objections from defense lawyers and the submission of evidence highlighting investigative flaws, the sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court, and now the retrial request has been rejected for the second time.
Background of Social Activism and Prior Arrests
Pakshan Azizi, a native of Mahabad and a graduate of social work from Allameh Tabataba’i University, was first arrested in November 2009 during a student protest against a wave of political executions in Kurdistan. She was released in March 2010 on a 100 million toman bail after months of interrogation. On August 4, 2023, she was arrested for the second time on charges of “membership in opposition groups,” an accusation she and her lawyers have repeatedly denied.
Risk of Imminent Execution
The interrogation process of Pakshan Azizi does not align with fair trial standards: limited access to a lawyer, prolonged solitary confinement, pressure for forced confessions, and repeated rejection of retrial requests without reviewing records are all examples of violations of the defendant’s fundamental rights.
Judicial precedent indicates that after a sentence is confirmed by the Supreme Court and retrial requests are rejected, the case is sent to the execution unit, leaving little time before the sentence is carried out. This has caused serious concern for Pakshan Azizi’s family, who emphasize that they not only lack regular contact with her but are also unaware of her physical and mental condition.
Execution as a Tool of Repression
Experts believe the charge of rebellion—defined in the Islamic Penal Code as an armed uprising against the system—has been applied in several similar cases without solid evidence. They argue that the use of the death penalty against individuals like Pakshan Azizi serves as a warning to society to deter social activism and demands for change.
Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – Prohibition of Torture and Cruel Treatment: Reports of pressure to extract confessions and prolonged interrogations indicate a violation of this principle.
Article 9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – Prohibition of Arbitrary Detention: Arrest without transparent evidence and prolonged solitary confinement constitute arbitrary detention.
Article 10 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – Right to a Fair and Public Trial: Failure to review evidence in the Supreme Court and rejection of retrial requests without case review blatantly violate this right.
Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights – Access to a Lawyer and Effective Appeals: Restrictions on lawyer meetings and repeated rejection of retrial requests contravene this article.
Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights – Right to Life: Issuing and confirming Pakshan Azizi’s death sentence amid serious ambiguities in the judicial process directly threatens this fundamental right.
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