Feizollah Azarnoush

Age: 60
Activism/rights: Justice-seeking family
Status: Unknown
Judicial status: 15 years’ imprisonment
Violations: Failure to investigate the killing of his son; arbitrary arrest and detention; lack of a fair trial and due process; denial of medical care; denial of access to a lawyer; denial of family visits and contact

Feizollah Azarnoush is the father of Pedram Azarnoush, who was killed during the 2022 "Woman, Life, Freedom" nationwide protests in the city of Dehdasht. Pedram, an 18-year-old protester, was shot in the heart and killed by a sniper using live ammunition on 23 September 2022 during a protest gathering by residents of Dehdasht near the governor’s office. He demanded the identification and prosecution of those who ordered and carried out his son's killing. 

On his Instagram account, Feizollah criticised government policies related to the suppression of protesters and, while pursuing justice and demanding punishment for his son’s killers, expressed solidarity with other justice-seeking families. This justice-seeking father has also repeatedly called for the release of political prisoners, the abolition of the death penalty and an end to the oppression of women.

On 19 June 2025, Feizollah was arrested in Yasuj and transferred to a Ministry of Intelligence detention facility, and subsequently to Yasuj Central Prison. Despite suffering from multiple medical conditions, he was denied access to medical treatment. He was also denied family visits and telephone contact, as well as access to a lawyer. He suffers from prostate disease and spinal canal stenosis, and his family learned of his condition only through other prisoners. Feizollah was temporarily released from prison on 4 August 2025.

In December 2025, Branch 102 of Criminal Court in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province sentenced Feizollah to 23 years’ imprisonment on charges of “assembly and collusion with intent to commit crimes against national security”, “propaganda against the system”, and “forming and membership of a group opposed to the system”.

In May 2026, Branch One of the Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province Court of Appeal overturned this verdict and sentenced Feizollah to five years' imprisonment for "participation in establishing a group with the intent to disrupt national security," three years for"propaganda activities to support and strengthen Israel," three years for "assembly and collusion against national security," two years for "insulting the Supreme Leader," one year for "propaganda against the system," and one year for "insulting Islamic sanctities." While the cumulative sentences total 15 years, the application of Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code means that the terms will run concurrently, making the single heaviest sentence of five years enforceable.

According to a notice issued by the Sentence Enforcement Office of Kohgiluyeh County on 3 June 2026, which was served on him and his three co-defendants, they must report to Dehdasht Prison within one month to serve their sentences.