UN and US Officials Urge Iran to Revoke Death Sentence for Kurdish Activist Pakhshan Azizi
Hussain Hazbavi 
UN human rights experts and a senior US official have urged Iran to revoke the death sentence of Kurdish women’s rights activist Pakhshan Azizi, citing allegations of torture and an unfair trial. Azizi, arrested in August 2023 and held in solitary confinement for five months, was sentenced to death in July 2024 for “armed rebellion” and alleged ties to the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), charges she denies. Reports indicate she was tortured for a confession, and her trial lacked credible evidence. The experts and US envoy Abram Paley condemned the targeting of Kurdish minorities and misuse of capital punishment in Iran.
