The “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign marked its 120th consecutive week on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, with political prisoners across 56 different facilities participating in a coordinated hunger strike. In a powerful statement released from within the prison system, the campaign denounced a recent escalation in capital punishment and what it described as a “reign of terror” aimed at stifling dissent.
According to the statement, at least 23 political and security-related prisoners have been executed since the start of the current Iranian year (March 2026). The campaign highlighted a disturbing trend of “enforced disappearances” following these executions, noting that authorities have refused to return the bodies of six prominent campaign members—Vahid Bani-Amerian, Pouya Ghobadi, Babak Alipour, Akbar (Shahrokh) Daneshvarkar, Mohammad Taghvi, and Abolhassan Montazer—to their families, despite 40 days having passed since their deaths.
The human rights situation has further deteriorated with the reported arrests of family members seeking closure. On April 18, 2026, Azam and Akram Daneshvarkar, the sisters of the executed Akbar Daneshvarkar, were reportedly detained by security forces at a forensic office while inquiring about their brother’s remains. Their current whereabouts remain unknown.
In Iran, political prisoners in 56 prisons marked the 120th week of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign with a hunger strike against the regime’s escalating execution spree.
Prisoners warn that at least 100 uprising detainees have been transferred to Ward 37, Unit 3 of Ghezel…— IRAN HRM (@IranHrm) May 12, 2026
The statement also raised alarms regarding the judicial treatment of participants from the January 2026 uprisings. Last week, three political prisoners—Ebrahim Dolatabadi, Mehdi Rasouli, and Mohammadreza Miri—were executed in Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad. Furthermore, the campaign reports that at least 100 detainees from the recent protests have been transferred to the overcrowded Unit 3, Ward 37 of Ghezel Hesar Prison, where they face severe living conditions and heavy charges that carry the risk of the death penalty.
“Every day of the ‘No to Execution Tuesdays’ campaign is a day for the survival of the collective conscience,” the statement read. “We break the deadly silence to bring the cry of ‘life’ to the ears of the world. Real justice is not born in execution sheds; it flourishes in the awakened heart and through fair trials.”
Iran’s execution machine accelerated in April 2026. Iran HRM recorded at least 26 executions, including political prisoners, protesters, and PMOI/MEK members.
Arbitrary arrests, prison abuse, and deaths under torture continue across Iran. #StopExecutionsInIran…— IRAN HRM (@IranHrm) May 7, 2026
The strike, which began as a small-scale protest, has now expanded to nearly every major prison facility in the country, including Evin, Qezel Hesar, and central prisons in Karaj, Shiraz, Mashhad, and Tabriz. The campaign persists despite state efforts to seize the assets of protesters and create an atmosphere of fear.
As the movement enters its third year, the participants emphasize that the campaign has become a symbol of a relentless resistance movement and its unwavering demand for the abolition of the death penalty.