Hengaw’s statement on the issuance of death sentence for Pejman Soltani
Hengaw Organization for Human Rights strongly condemns the issuance of a death sentence for Pejman Soltani, a Kurdish activist and one of the detainees from the “Jin, Jiyan, Azadi” (Woman, Life, Freedom) movement in Bukan. Hengaw urges Iranian and Kurdish civil society, as well as the international community, to be the voice of this political prisoner sentenced to death.
Pejman Soltani, a 32-year-old from Bukan, was among the protesters of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement. He has been sentenced to death under pressure from security agencies, including the Iran Ministry of Intelligence, without access to any level of fair trial and in blatant disregard for even the Islamic Republic of Iran’s own minimal legal standards.
Without due process and in the absence of fair trial standards, the judiciary has sentenced Pejman Soltani to death. This ruling constitutes a flagrant violation of fundamental human rights principles and Iran’s international obligations. Therefore, Hengaw Organization for Human Rights calls for the annulment of the sentence issued by the Special Juvenile Criminal Court of West Azerbaijan (Urmia) and demands a retrial in a fair court.
Based on Hengaw’s statistical and investigative findings, the death penalty in Iran—particularly in political cases and even in general criminal cases—is used as a tool for repression and intimidation. The right to life is the most fundamental human right, and no government has the right to use it as a weapon to silence protesters and suppress society.
On Saturday, April 15, 2023, Pejman Soltani was arrested at his workplace in Bukan by agents of the Intelligence Department and transferred to this security agency’s detention center in Urmia. He was held in solitary confinement for four months, subjected to severe torture, and coerced into making a forced confession against himself.
It is worth noting that throughout his arrest and detention, this political prisoner has been denied the right to access a lawyer and even the right to meet with his family members.
