On 19 January a protest gathering was held in Vancouver against the death sentences of Pakhshan Azizi and Varisheh Moradi, as well as the increasing number of executions in Iran. Paul Finch, the General Secretary of the British Columbia General Employees’ Union (BCGEU), and Massoud Arzhang, the Vice-President of the union, attended the gathering. Paul Finch and Tahmineh Sadeghi were among the speakers.
Activists from the “Free Them Now” campaign to free jailed workers in Iran, were among the organisers of the event. They set up an information booth featuring their logo and posters of Pakhshan Azizi, Varisheh Moradi, and imprisoned workers, in front of the booth. Tahmineh Sadeghi, a member of the campaign, held an interview with Paul Finch, who expressed his support for Pakhshan Azizi and Varisheh Moradi. He emphasised the need to overturn their death sentences and abolish capital punishment entirely. He also called for the release of imprisoned workers and all political prisoners in Iran.
Abbas Mandegar, another member of the “Free Them Now”, also gave a speech. He condemned the death sentences of Pakhshan Azizi, Varisheh Moradi, and others, stressing the need to abolish the inhumane practice of capital punishment and to nullify all execution orders.
The BCGEU has been a supporter of the campaign to expel the Islamic regime from the ILO. “Free Them Now” demands the immediate cancellation of the death sentences against Pakhshan Azizi and Varisheh Moradi, the unconditional release of all political prisoners, and the complete abolition of the death penalty.
Sunday, 19 January (30 Dey 1403).