HRANA News Agency – Attorney Amir Raisian announced that Branch 9 of Iran’s Supreme Court has rejected the request for a retrial in the case of Pakhshan Azizi, a political prisoner sentenced to death.
According to HRANA, quoting Shargh, Raisian provided details about Azizi’s latest legal status. In an interview, he stated that Branch 9 of the Supreme Court issued the rejection ruling on January 25, which was officially communicated to him yesterday.
Raisian explained that the court justified its decision by arguing that the legal flaws in the case fall under substantive issues rather than procedural errors. However, he pointed out that in March 2024, a specialized criminal panel of the Supreme Court had stated that a retrial could be granted in cases where the convicted person’s actions do not constitute a crime or lack essential criminal elements.
Criticizing procedural flaws in the case, Raisian highlighted a key inconsistency in the ruling: “The rejection order states that Ms. Azizi is affiliated with both the Democratic Party and PKK (PJAK). It is unclear how she could simultaneously belong to both groups. More importantly, the ruling does not specify which organization she was allegedly a member of that warranted a death sentence. The document states that she was sentenced to death for ‘armed rebellion’ under Article 287 of the Islamic Penal Code, while also receiving a prison sentence for membership in ‘hostile and terrorist groups’—the Democratic Party and PKK (PJAK).”
Raisian further questioned the legal reasoning behind the verdict: “If she received a prison sentence under Article 499 of the Penal Code for alleged membership in either the Democratic Party or PJAK, then for which other group was she sentenced to death?”
He also noted that previous errors in defining the alleged “criminal group” in this case had set a precedent, and he expressed astonishment that such mistakes persisted at this stage of the legal proceedings.
In a separate development, Maziar Tataie, another defense attorney for Azizi, had stated earlier that when he followed up on her retrial request at the Supreme Court, the reviewing branch had agreed to suspend the execution of her sentence under the provisions of Note 478 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
Background on Azizi’s Case
On July 24, Azizi was sentenced to death and four years in prison by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Iman Afshari, on charges of “armed rebellion (baghi)” through alleged membership in dissident groups.
On August 4, 2023, Azizi, along with her 67-year-old father Aziz Azizi (a lymphoma patient), her sister Parshang (49), and her sister’s husband Hossein Abbasi (49), was arrested in Tehran. The arrests were carried out by approximately 20 armed agents who stopped their moving vehicle, searched them, and transferred them to The Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facility, known as Ward 209 of Evin Prison.
In protest against her family’s detention, Pakhshan began a hunger strike, which she ended after learning that her family members were released on bail after two weeks of solitary confinement. After being held in solitary confinement in Ward 209 for three months and three weeks, she was transferred to the women’s ward of Evin Prison on December 10, 2023.
Later, Aziz Azizi, Parshang Azizi, and Hossein Abbasi were sentenced to one year in prison each by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, also under Judge Iman Afshari, for “assisting a criminal in escaping prosecution and conviction.” Their sentences were upheld by the Tehran Court of Appeals on September 27, and their appeal was forwarded to the Supreme Court.
A source close to Azizi’s family told HRANA:
“Pakhshan has no affiliations with any groups. She worked as a social worker for 10 years in refugee camps in Rojava. The groups she worked with were fighting against ISIS—an enemy of both the Islamic Republic and the Quds Force. There was no direct conflict between Pakhshan’s associates and Iranian forces, a fact clearly evident in her case.”
In mid-October 2024, during a protest by female prisoners in Evin following the execution of Reza Rasaei and a clash with prison guards, Azizi was accused of “assaulting an officer and disobedience” and was sentenced to six months in prison by the Criminal Court.
Also, in August, 2024, Azizi faced new accusations of “inciting unrest in prison” during the second round of the 2024 presidential election, brought before Branch 3 of the Evin Prosecutor’s Office.
A native of Mahabad, Azizi has a history of arrests and judicial encounters. In 2009, she was detained on charges of political activity and was released after four months on bail.
