Four Iranian women at risk of execution

Iranian authorities have accused four women of "armed rebellion", a sentence carrying the death penalty, as the country's execution spree continues.

The four women have been identified as Pakhshan Azizi, Sharifeh Mohammadi, Varisheh Moradi, and Nasim Gholami Simiyari.

While Azizi and Mohammadi have received a death sentence in recent weeks, the verdicts for Moradi and Simiyari are pending. However, given the armed rebellion charges they face, activists have warned that they could be at high risk of execution.

Article 287 of the Islamic Penal Code states that any group taking up arms against the Islamic Republic is considered a rebel and "its members shall be sentenced to death.”

Rights groups, activists, and Evin Prison inmates have condemned the authorities' actions, sparking widespread protests on social media and from human rights organizations against the Islamic Republic's harsh treatment of female activists.

Last year, 834 prisoners were executed in Iran, including at least 22 women, marking the highest number since 2014, according to Iran Human Rights, making Iran the world's leading executioner of women.