The Progressive Alliance strongly condemns the Islamic Republic of Iran’s intensified campaign of repression, which has led to the execution of 46 Kurdish individuals in the past month alone. These executions are not just numbers—they represent lives cut short under a regime that seeks to silence dissent and crush democratic aspirations in Iran.
Among those at imminent risk are Varishe Moradi, a Kurdish women’s rights activist, and Pakhshan Azizi, a humanitarian aid worker. Both have been sentenced to death following grossly unfair trials marred by forced confessions and a complete denial of due process. These women, representing Iran’s oppressed Kurdish minority, have faced inhumane treatment, including solitary confinement, torture, and threats of execution. The fabricated cases against them are clearly political and are used to intimidate activists’ efforts to fight for human rights and support marginalized communities.
Adding to this cruelty, the Iranian regime routinely withholds the bodies of executed individuals from their families, refusing to disclose their burial sites. This practice not only deepens the suffering of grieving families but also reflects the regime’s ongoing efforts to erase the identities and sacrifices of those who resisted its oppressive rule. A few months ago, four members of our sister party, the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan, were executed, yet their families remain in the dark about their final resting places.
This escalation in political executions forms part of a broader trend of mass killings in Iran’s prisons. The Iran Human Rights Organization recently reported a sharp increase in executions, with at least 166 people hanged in October alone—marking the highest monthly figure in over 20 years. Amnesty International’s recent findings also reveal that nearly 75% of documented executions worldwide in 2023 took place in Iran, underscoring the regime’s brutal use of the death penalty as a tool to stifle dissent and maintain control.
The Progressive Alliance calls on the international community to act with urgency and resolve. We urge democratic governments, human rights organizations, and civil society to amplify their efforts in holding the Iranian regime accountable. We must amplify our collective voice to pressure the Iranian regime to halt these executions and secure the immediate release of all political prisoners.
The Progressive Alliance stands in solidarity with the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement, a force for change in Iran, led by women and marginalized communities in their pursuit of justice and equality. Driven by the bravery of these women and marginalized groups in their fight against oppression, we stand in solidarity with them and our comrades in Iran.
