More than 500 Azerbaijani civil and national activists have signed a collective statement demanding the immediate revocation of the death sentence issued against Ehsan Faridi, a 22-year-old student from Tabriz. The statement denounces the death penalty as a political tool used by the ruling regime in Iran to silence dissent and suppress civil activism. The signatories describe Faridi’s case as a clear example of how the death penalty is used to instill fear and eliminate political opponents.
CASE BACKGROUND AND ARREST PROCESS
Ehsan Faridi, born in 2003, is a student of Manufacturing Engineering at Tabriz Technical University. He was first arrested on March 8, 2024 (18 Esfand 1402) by security forces and transferred to Tabriz Prison after ten days of interrogation. On March 18, 2024 (28 Esfand 1402), he was temporarily released on bail. However, on June 18, 2024 (29 Khordad 1403), while appearing at the Tabriz Prosecutor’s Office to follow up on his case, he was rearrested.
His initial charge of “propaganda against the state” was later escalated to “corruption on earth (efsad-fel-arz)”, a capital offense under the penal code. According to legal sources, the investigating judge, Seyed Ali Mousavi, demanded a bribe from Faridi’s family. When they refused, he retaliated by filing heavier charges. Judge Mousavi was later dismissed from office for corruption and forming a bribery network, yet the case continued on the same false foundation. In February 2025 (Bahman 1403), Branch 2 of the Tabriz Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Abdi, sentenced Ehsan Faridi to death. The appeals court upheld the verdict without due review, and the case is now pending before the Supreme Court.
SECURITY PRESSURES AND FAMILY INTIMIDATION
From the outset, the Tabriz Intelligence Department exerted heavy pressure on Faridi’s family to keep the case silent. Agents repeatedly warned them that publicizing the case could have “serious consequences” for their son. Out of fear, the family remained silent for months until October 2025 (Mehr 1404), when Faridi’s mother, Parvin Hayati, broke her silence and publicly appealed to the Iranian people and the international community to help save her son’s life.
She stated: “Silence in the face of injustice is betrayal. My son only wished to live — how can that be called corruption?” Mrs. Hayati emphasized that her son was under 20 at the time of arrest and had committed no act of violence: “I swear on my son’s life that I will not rest until Ehsan is freed and fully exonerated.”
STATEMENT BY 537 AZERBAIJANI CIVIL ACTIVISTS
On November 2, 2025 (11 Aban 1404), 537 Azerbaijani civil activists issued a statement titled “A Call to Conscience and the International Community”, urging the immediate cancellation of Ehsan Faridi’s death sentence. The statement reads: “The death penalty brings neither justice nor security; it only perpetuates cycles of violence and vengeance.”
The signatories stress that the continued use of executions in Iran reflects a deep regression from international human rights standards and that Ehsan Faridi’s case is “a clear manifestation of the instrumental use of execution to silence free thought.” They further declared: “In a world where more than two-thirds of countries have abolished or suspended executions, Iran’s insistence on this punishment represents a denial of human dignity.”
The activists called for a complete abolition of the death penalty in Iran, emphasizing that ending this punishment is “a fundamental condition for a democratic and humane future.”
HUMAN RIGHTS AND LEGAL ANALYSIS
Ehsan Faridi’s case constitutes multiple violations of Iran’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR):
– Article 6 – Right to Life: Issuing a death sentence for someone who was under 18 at the time of arrest is a flagrant violation of the right to life.
– Article 7 – Prohibition of Cruel and Inhuman Treatment: Prolonged detention and psychological pressure on both Faridi and his family amount to inhumane and degrading treatment.
– Article 9 – Right to Liberty and Security: His arrest without a clear judicial warrant and the denial of access to an independent lawyer constitute unlawful deprivation of liberty.
– Article 14 – Right to a Fair Trial: A trial conducted without defense counsel and based solely on intelligence reports lacks any legal legitimacy.
– Article 19 – Freedom of Expression: The charge of “propaganda against the state” was imposed merely for exercising free expression, violating the universal right to hold opinions without interference.
The proceedings against Faridi not only contravene domestic legal standards but also represent a direct breach of Iran’s international human rights obligations.
HUMAN AND SOCIAL DIMENSIONS
Ehsan Faridi is among the youngest political prisoners currently facing execution in Iran. His arrest, ill-treatment, and death sentence have provoked widespread outrage across social networks and academic circles. Students at Tabriz University and other campuses have called his sentence “the execution of Iran’s future.” Civil campaigns such as #NoToExecution and #EhsanFaridi have been launched to raise awareness of his plight. At the international level, human rights defenders and academic institutions have appealed to UN bodies to intervene urgently.
INTERNATIONAL CALL TO ACTION
The case of Ehsan Faridi lays bare the systematic persecution of Iran’s youth and student population. Within a judiciary that has become an instrument of political repression, justice cannot be expected from within. The death penalty in Iran serves not as a legal deterrent, but as a political weapon to instill fear and punish dissent.
The call of Azerbaijani activists and the voice of Ehsan Faridi’s mother represent a moral appeal to the global conscience. It is now the responsibility of the international community—including the United Nations, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and all defenders of freedom and human dignity—to exert political and legal pressure on the Iranian regime to halt the execution of this young student. Revoking Ehsan Faridi’s death sentence is not only the defense of one life, but a stand against the expanding wave of political executions in Iran.
