The Confederation of Communities of Kurdistan in Germany (KON-MED) called on the Iranian regime to stop all executions and release political prisoners. The association condemned the record of executions in Iran on Monday in a statement issued in Berlin as "inhumane" and called for tougher international action against the country's government.

According to the human rights organization Iran Human Rights (IHR), at least 347 people have been executed in Iran since the beginning of the year. In the middle of last week alone, there were 36 executions in a single day. Among those murdered was the Kurd Reza Rasaei, a member of the "Jin Jiyan Azadî" movement. The 34-year-old, who belonged to the Yarsan minority, was hanged last Tuesday in Dizel Abad prison in Kirmashan province for allegedly stabbing an intelligence agent during the protests following the violent death of Jina Amini in autumn 2022.

Pakhshan Azizi also faces death

The same fate now threatens Pakhshan Azizi, a Kurdish woman imprisoned in Tehran's Evin prison, said KON-MED. The social worker and journalist was sentenced to death by the regime's judiciary because she is said to be a member of the Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan (PJAK). Sharifa Mohammadi is another victim of Iran's justice system. The labor rights activist and women's rights activist, imprisoned in Lakan prison in Gilan province, was sentenced to death because she is said to have been a member of the Coordination Committee for Trade Unions 13 years ago.

Disproportionately high number of members of minorities among those executed

KON-MED stressed that the mullah regime's death machine specifically targets opposition members and especially women's activists, and pointed out that there are a disproportionately high number of members of minorities among those executed and among those threatened with execution. It can also be "assumed with sufficient certainty" that the high number of executions of Kurds in Iran is no coincidence, said KON-MED, adding: "The Iranian government is pursuing a deliberate policy of isolating and dividing Kurdish society. It is also no coincidence that many of the executions affect women. The ‘Jin Jiyan Azadî’ protests following the death of the Kurdish woman Jina Amini made it clear that Iranian society is no longer willing to tolerate the patriarchal regime of violence in Tehran. However, with the latest executions and death sentences, the Iranian state is demonstrating that it wants to stick to its authoritarian and misogynistic course."

"No to execution, yes to free life"

The slogan ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadî’ (Woman, Life, Freedom) serves as the leitmotif of the Kurdish freedom movement and is also of central importance for the peaceful coexistence of the different peoples in Iran. KON-MED declared its solidarity with "all courageous and democratic people in Iran who defend themselves against the Islamist mullah regime every day."

It is now necessary to increase pressure at the international level to end the execution policy in the country and pave the way for democratic change, said the Kurdish umbrella organization, reaffirming its support for the campaign "No to Execution, Yes to Free Life," and adding that it is "our duty to position ourselves against the executions and femicides in Iran and to take action against them." The organization also calls on everyon to sign the petition

https://www.change.org/p/free-pakhshan-azizi for the release of Pakhshan Azizi