In the 48th week of the “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign, prisoners in Rudsar Prison, Gilan Province, have joined the nationwide hunger strike against Iran’s execution policies. The campaign, which has grown into a significant protest movement, aims to shed light on the regime’s systematic use of executions to suppress dissent.
This year alone, Iran has executed at least 953 people, including 33 women and 8 political prisoners. Additionally, 96 Kurdish and 101 Baluchi individuals have been among the victims. Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, identified as a central hub for executions, accounts for 17% of these cases with 158 executions in 2024.
The “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign, which includes inmates from 28 prisons, has been instrumental in exposing these human rights abuses. The campaign has also called for international pressure to stop the executions, urging solidarity and collective action to end this systemic violence.
On Tuesday, December 24, 2024, prisoners from facilities across the country, including Evin Prison, Greater Tehran Prison, and Ghezel Hesar, will join the hunger strike, amplifying their call for an end to state-sanctioned executions. Organizers stress that the only way to halt the execution machinery is through unity and global advocacy.
3,000 Prominent International Figures Support the “No to Execution” Campaign in #Iran via @IranHrm https://t.co/HyDXPDzv8C #StopExecutionsInIran
— Ali Safavi (@amsafavi) December 12, 2024
The statement of the Iranian political prisoners follows below:
Rudsar Prison joins the 48th Week of the “No to Executions Tuesdays” Campaign
Ghezel Hesar Prison: A Killing Ground Responsible for 17% of Executions Nationwide
On the eve of the New Year, we extend congratulations on the birth of Christ, the harbinger of peace and freedom, and wish a year free from oppression, executions, and killings for all the nations of the world, especially Iranians suffering under the tyranny of the Velayat-e Faqih regime.
In 2024, the authoritarian regime ruling Iran has so far executed at least 953 people, solely by hanging. Among them, approximately 33 were women, and 8 were political prisoners. Additionally, around 96 Kurdish compatriots and 101 Baluchi compatriots have been executed over the past year.
Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, as the main hub of executions, is a killing ground where, with 158 executions in 2024, it accounts for about 17% of all executions in the country.
The “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign, by exposing parts of the atrocities and executions carried out in prisons across the country, has sought to amplify the voices of anonymous prisoners on death row. The campaign and other political and human rights organizations’ revelations of these crimes have led to Ghezel Hesar Prison being included in the list of international sanctions after years of executions and killings.
Last week, the execution-driven regime hanged Rahim Barin, a Kurdish political prisoner, in Mahabad Prison on Wednesday, December 18, after 19 years of torture.
#Italian City Council Condemns #Iran’s Executions and Endorses Global “No to Execution” Campaignhttps://t.co/UjLSNMO3NN
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) December 4, 2024
Additionally, another political prisoner in Urmia Prison, Razgar Beygzadeh Babamiri, who had been arrested during the 2022 protests in Bukan, has been charged with “moharebeh” (waging war against God) and “baghi” (armed rebellion) by Branch 10 of the Urmia Revolutionary Court, and he faces the risk of an execution sentence.
Given the ongoing wave of mass executions peaking across the country, a number of prisoners in Rudsar Prison, Gilan Province, announced in a letter this week that they will now join the “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign and begin a hunger strike.
At a time when the regime is unable to address its structural crises and has declared the country shut down or semi-closed, the implementation of execution sentences continues unabated, without a single day of reprieve. It seems that the machinery of killing and executions is unstoppable.
As we have repeatedly emphasized, it is clear that the regime resorts to repression and executions to prevent public protests, and all executions in Iran have political dimensions. Therefore, the members of this campaign once again call on all grassroots organizations and human rights institutions inside and outside the country to make serious efforts to prevent executions in Iran. The key to victory and stopping the execution machinery lies in solidarity and collective unity. We can and must stand against executions to put an end to this systematic killing.
Professor #Javaid_Rehman, in his speech against death penalty & in support of "Tuesdays No to Execution" campaign in Iran's prisons, emphasized his stance & highlighted, this campaign began in #GhezelHesar prison & said:
"I have always condemned arbitrary & unlawful #executions." pic.twitter.com/q6YHIGZ916— Iran Human Rights Society (@iranhrs_en) October 10, 2024
Members of the “No to Executions Tuesdays” Campaign will be on hunger strike on Tuesday, December 24, 2024, during the 48th week, in the following 28 prisons:
Evin Prison (women’s ward, wards 4 and 8), Ghezel Hesar Prison (wards 3 and 4), Karaj Central Prison, Greater Tehran Prison, Khorin Varamin Prison, Arak Prison, Khorramabad Prison, Asadabad Isfahan Prison, Dastgerd Isfahan Prison, Sheiban Ahvaz Prison, Shiraz Military Prison, Bam Prison, Kahnuj Prison, Tabas Prison, Mashhad Prison, Qaemshahr Prison, Rasht Prison (men’s and women’s wards), Ardabil Prison, Tabriz Prison, Urmia Prison, Salmas Prison, Khoy Prison, Naqadeh Prison, Saqqez Prison, Baneh Prison, Marivan Prison, Kamyaran Prison, and Rudsar Prison, Gilan Province.
Tuesday, December 24, 2024
The “No to Executions Tuesdays” Campaign