Displaying items by tag: condemned to death

Humanitarian worker and Kurdish activist Pakhshan Azizi faces imminent execution in Iran after a Revolutionary Court sentenced her to death in July 2024. Her conviction is solely based on her peaceful humanitarian work, including aiding displaced women and children in northeast Syria. Despite allegations of torture, Iranian authorities failed to investigate her mistreatment. She was arrested in August 2023 alongside family members, who were later released on bail but sentenced to prison for alleged national security offences. Since her detention, she has gone on several hunger strikes in protest against Iran’s policies; in reprisal, authorities have denied her family contact and opened new cases against her. Iran has intensified executions, particularly targeting ethnic minorities like Kurds and Baluchis. Human rights groups warn that the Iranian regime is using the death penalty as a tool of repression, disproportionately affecting political dissidents and minority groups. To add your name to a petition for her release, go to

A Kentish dog trainer, a Cornish farmer, and a Sussex executive are helping the elderly and frail to evacuate from dangerous areas in Ukraine. They fund themselves. ‘I know my parents worry’, said the dog trainer, ‘but they are proud of what I do.’ She has done a trauma first aid course, and is learning on the job. They travel to communities in the path of Russian forces. Shelling is a constant threat. Pray for God’s protection and strength to all who are helping the helpless in Ukraine. In April Russians captured Aiden and Shaun, Britons serving with Ukraine’s military. Russia’s foreign ministry said, ‘Don't worry, Russia is taking care of them’. Then on 9 June a court (not internationally recognised) in an area held by pro-Russian separatists sentenced them to death on the charge of being mercenaries. The men insist they have been in Ukraine since 2018, serving with Ukraine's military and entitled to prisoner-of-war protection. A Moroccan national was also condemned.