Widespread strike in Kurdistan protests death sentences of Varisheh Moradi and Pakhshan Azizi
Hengaw: Wednesday, January 22, 2025
Shop and business owners in at least 13 cities of Kurdistan, including Kermanshah (Kirmashan), Paveh, Islamabad-e Gharb (Shabad), Sanandaj (Sine), Marivan, Saqqez, Divandarreh, Mahabad, Bukan, Kamyaran, Qorveh, Baneh, and Ilam, participated in a widespread strike following calls from Kurdish political parties, organizations, and human rights groups.
According to field reports confirmed by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, a general strike took place across several cities in Kurdistan on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, to protest the death sentences of Pakhshan Azizi and Varisheh Moradi. This protest occurred despite threats and pressure from authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Widespread repression and retaliatory actions by security forces
Security forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, under orders from Alireza Rezapour, the public prosecutor and revolutionary attorney of Saqqez, targeted protesting business owners by sealing off numerous shops. Field reports reveal that, in Rezapour’s direct presence, security forces damaged shop doors and inflicted heavy financial losses on business owners.
To identify participating shopkeepers, security forces painted the doors of shops, commercial centers, and marketplaces, raising concerns over potential future crackdowns. In Sanandaj and Divandarreh, dozens of shops were sealed off for participating in the strike.
Authorities’ efforts to prevent the strike
Ahead of the strike, Arash Lahoni, the governor of Kurdistan (Sine), attempted to dissuade participation by holding a meeting with civil activists. Lahoni made false promises, including pledges to revoke Pakhshan Azizi’s death sentence, in an effort to prevent the strike.
Additionally, security forces sent threatening text messages to residents of Kurdistan and summoned more than 500 Kurdish activists, issuing warnings to deter their involvement in the protests.
Military presence and security threats
In tandem with the widespread strike in Islamabad-e Gharb (Shabad), Iranian military forces deployed helicopters over the city to create an atmosphere of fear and intimidation.
Broad support for the strike and calls for International action
The strike was organized in response to a joint call by six Kurdish political parties and supported by human rights organizations, civil activists, and widespread public participation. While endorsing this civil action, the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights previously called on Iranian civil society and international organizations to amplify the call and take concrete measures to prevent the execution of these death sentences.
Hunger strike in Evin Prison in solidarity with Kurdistan protests
In parallel, a group of women prisoners in Evin Prison observed hunger strikes on Tuesday and Wednesday in solidarity with the general strike in Kurdistan, protesting the death sentences of Pakhshan Azizi and Varisheh Moradi.
Despite severe threats and crackdowns, the widespread strike in Kurdistan against the death sentences of Varisheh Moradi and Pakhshan Azizi received broad public and political prisoner support. Hengaw once again calls on the international community, human rights organizations, and global institutions to exert immediate pressure on the Islamic Republic of Iran to halt the execution of these sentences. The international community must not remain silent in the face of this systematic repression and issuance of unjust sentences.
