News Center — Judicial Sentences Against Women in Iran Spark Criticism

Judicial rulings against women in Iran have sparked widespread criticism, with human rights organizations considering these sentences a blatant violation of women’s rights and freedom of expression, especially amid increasing arrests and harsh trials targeting activists and government critics.

The website Voice of Kurdish and Iranian Detainees reported today, Saturday, November 29, that Iranian authorities issued a three-year prison sentence against the young Kurdish woman Shida Azizi, a resident of Sanandaj in eastern Kurdistan.

The sentence, issued by the First Branch of the Revolutionary Court in Sanandaj, came after her arrest during Israeli attacks on Iran, with the charge of “attempting to disrupt national security.”

The report noted that Shida Azizi was detained during the twelve-day attacks between Iran and Israel in Sanandaj, and was taken to prison without any judicial warrant. The website also disclosed new information regarding the punishment of two women in Sanandaj and Evin prisons.

The political prisoners Marziyeh Farsi and Forough Taghipour, held in Evin Prison, are reportedly suffering from deteriorating health due to deprivation of medical care and increasing security pressures. Their arrests occurred in 2023, coinciding with the anniversary of the popular uprising in Iran, before being transferred to Evin Prison. The judge at the Revolutionary Court in Tehran issued a 15-year prison sentence for each, accusing them of “contact with opposition forces against the Iranian regime.