UN experts express their concern over the Iranian Supreme Court’s support of the death sentence against a Kurdish activist.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, experts* said that the charges against Ms. Azizi do not rise to the level of the most serious crimes under international death penalty law. They said she was arrested in Tehran in August 2023 by Iranian intelligence services and held in solitary confinement for five months.

On July 23, 2024, the Revolutionary Court in Tehran sentenced her to death on charges of “Armed rebellion against the state (against)” and“Belonging to opposition groups” In addition to a four-year prison sentence for alleged belonging to the Kurdistan Free Life Party – the death sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court last week.

The experts said: “Ms Azizi’s arrest and sentencing appear to be related solely to her legitimate work as a social worker, including her support of refugees in Iraq and Syria.”

They expressed concern about reports that she was subjected to severe psychological and physical torture in solitary confinement to extract a confession, and was prevented from visiting her family and obtaining legal representation of her choice. Experts noted that several members of her family were temporarily detained and faced charges related to national security. “Apparently to pressure her into confessing.”

They said: “The use of torture to extract confessions and deprive her of her fair trial rights makes Ms. Azizi’s death sentence inherently arbitrary.”

The experts stressed the need for Iran to stop executions that ignore the requirements of international law and violate basic rights and freedoms, expressing their deep concern about the number of executions in Iran exceeding 900 cases in 2024 – with the implementation of sentences against women increasing.

They added in their statement: “We are deeply concerned by the specific targeting of Kurdish women activists on politically motivated charges. Ms. Azizi’s trial reflects the increasing persecution faced by minority women activists in Iran, and the continued intentions to punish and silence them by creating an environment of fear.”

The experts urged the Iranian authorities to immediately cancel the death sentence against Ms. Bakhshan Azizi, investigate allegations of torture and deprive her of fair trial rights, and put an end to the harassment and targeting of female activists in Iran, and confirmed that they are in contact with the Iranian government regarding this issue.

The experts are:

*It is noteworthy that special rapporteurs and independent experts are appointed by the Human Rights Council in Geneva, which is an intergovernmental body responsible for promoting and protecting human rights around the world. Rapporteurs and experts are tasked with studying human rights situations and submitting reports on them to the Human Rights Council. It should be noted that this position is honorary, and these experts are not considered employees of the United Nations and do not receive compensation for their work.