In its 77th consecutive week, the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign—an unprecedented grassroots movement from within Iran’s prisons—marked a significant expansion as Yazd Prison officially joined the protest. This brings the number of participating prisons to 48, underscoring a growing wave of resistance against the Iranian regime’s escalating use of the death penalty as a tool of political repression and social intimidation.
The campaign, led by prisoners themselves and supported by families of death row inmates and justice-seekers across Iran, continues to challenge the regime’s normalization of executions. In recent weeks, the regime has intensified its use of capital punishment, often targeting political and ideological prisoners, particularly those from ethnic minority groups.
Political Prisoners Face Imminent Execution
The latest wave of repression has seen three political prisoners—Farshad Etemadi-Far, Masoud Jamei, and Alireza Mardasi—each sentenced to death twice by Branch 1 of the so-called Revolutionary Court of Ahvaz. Meanwhile, Arab political prisoners Ali Mojaddam, Moein Khanfari, and Mohammadreza Moghaddam have been transferred to solitary confinement, raising urgent concerns about their possible secret execution. The complete lack of communication regarding their condition has intensified fears among their families and advocates, pointing to the regime’s continued use of enforced disappearance.
UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, Ms. Mai Sato, expressed grave concern about the fate of the Ahvazi Arab prisoners and called on the international community to speak out before it is too late. “These warnings must evolve into concrete and collective action,” the campaign declared, emphasizing the urgency of halting state-sanctioned killings.
Week 77 of #NoToExecutionTuesdays: 48 prisons now join the hunger strike, including Yazd.
New death sentences, solitary confinement for 3 Arab political prisoners, 44 executions in 3 weeks.#StopExecutionsInIran pic.twitter.com/6lnjlSvqm6— SIMAY AZADI TV (@en_simayazadi) July 15, 2025
Systematic Denial of Legal Rights
In a further blow to the rule of law, retrial requests for two death row political prisoners—Mehdi Hasani and Behrouz Ehsani—have been rejected for the fourth time. Their cases remain classified, denying even their legal representatives access to critical information, in clear violation of legal due process and international standards.
The Iranian month of Tir (starting on June 21) has witnessed an alarming surge in executions, with at least 44 people, including one woman, hanged so far—averaging two executions per day. Two were carried out in public squares in the cities of Miandoab and Bukan, scenes widely seen as intended to instill fear amid growing anti-regime sentiment.
“These public executions are not only medieval in practice but function as the regime’s desperate display of power at a time when it faces crises on multiple fronts,” the campaign’s weekly statement reads.
*Reports of imminent execution of three Ahwazi Arab political prisoners*
I have received reports that Ali Mojadem, Moein Khanfari and Mohammadreza Moghaddam face imminent execution for baghy, despite allegations of serious fair trial violations and torture-induced confessions.…
— Mai Sato (@drmaisato.bsky.social) (@drmaisato) July 10, 2025
A National Prison Network of Protest
Despite mounting pressures, the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign continues to grow in both scale and determination. Prisoners from 48 facilities—including high-profile institutions like Evin, Ghezel Hesar, Greater Tehran, and now Yazd—have joined the hunger strike and symbolic protest. Participating prisons span nearly every region of the country, from Kurdistan and Khuzestan to Tehran and Fars, forming a national network of resistance that defies the regime’s silencing tactics.
A full list of participating prisons on July 15, 2025, includes major facilities across provinces such as Tehran, Esfahan, Ahvaz, Kermanshah, Kurdistan, Fars, and now Yazd.
Iran Supreme Court Rejects Mehdi Hassani’s Retrial Request for 4th Time
His lawyer writes: “I have not been granted permission to review the file… the risk of his death sentence being carried out is very serious.” #StopExecutionsInIranhttps://t.co/C5RRyqdwCH— IRAN HRM (@IranHrm) July 14, 2025
A Call to Action
The campaign’s weekly statement ends with a powerful appeal to the Iranian people:
“Noble people of Iran, your protest can expose the criminal face of this regime and keep the voices of its victims alive. We call on all to stand in solidarity with the families of the condemned and to turn every act of state intimidation into a moment of collective resistance.”
The “No to Execution Tuesdays” movement, now approaching its 18th month, represents one of the most persistent and organized challenges to Iran’s execution machinery. As it grows in strength and visibility, it sends a clear message: the people will not remain silent in the face of injustice, even from behind prison walls.