Kurdistan Human Rights Network

A group of Kurdish women activists staged a protest today in front of the governor's office in Kurdistan Province to denounce the confirmation of the death sentence against Kurdish political prisoner Pakhshan Azizi. The protesters demanded the immediate cancellation of the sentence and the release of all political and religious prisoners. During the rally, the activists held up pictures of Azizi and chanted slogans against...

Security forces have arrested at least 13 Kurdish civilians and activists in recent days in Kermanshah, Sarpol-e Zahab, Sanandaj, Divandarreh, Bukan and Mahabad, three of whom have been sent to prison to serve their sentences. Additionally, four civilians, including two minors, arrested in a recent wave of arrests of Kurdish civilians and activists, have been provisionally released on bail. In recent days, security forces arrested Armin...

A group of civil, human rights, political and media activists from Kurdistan have issued a statement calling for the immediate annulment of the death sentence imposed on Kurdish political prisoner Pakhshan Azizi and a review of her case. The signatories also demanded review of the cases of other death row prisoners in the country. The statement, entitled “Respect the Right to Life”, highlighted the widespread concern...

Two Kurdish women, Kosar Darabi and Zahra Shahbazi, have been killed by their husbands in Kermanshah and Ilam, respectively, within the past week. Darabi, an 18-year-old woman from Kermanshah, Kermanshah Province, was shot dead by her husband on 1 January. She had reportedly been forced into marriage about two months earlier and had been severely beaten by her husband before the killing, leaving visible bruises on...

Branch 39 of Iran’s Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence issued against Kurdish political prisoner Pakhshan Azizi. Azizi's lawyer, Amir Raeisian, informed Sharq Daily of the decision today and criticised the court for ignoring critical evidence. "After Branch 26 of the [Islamic] Revolutionary Court of Tehran issued a death sentence against Ms Pakhshan Azizi, we filed an appeal. However, Branch 39 of the Supreme Court...