The “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign has entered its 109th consecutive week, with prisoners in 56 detention facilities across Iran launching a coordinated hunger strike on Tuesday, February 24, 2026. The campaign coincides with the 40th-day commemorations for victims of the January 2026 uprising—ceremonies that, according to organizers, have become “a symbol of the continuation of the uprising and public solidarity.”
Across multiple cities, memorial gatherings evolved into expressions of open defiance. Anti-regime slogans and explicit rejection of dictatorship underscored what participants described as a transformation of grief into resistance. The statement emphasized that “the memory and names of the victims of repression have transformed into an inspiring force for realizing the overthrow [of the regime] and establishing justice, freedom, and equality.”
Solidarity with Students and Warning Against Repression
The campaign declared its alignment with “the people of Iran and the families of the slain,” extending specific salutations to university students across the country. In a direct message, organizers stated: “We… declare our solidarity with them and send our salutations to students from Sharif, Tehran, Amirkabir, Art, and National (Melli) universities to the University of Mashhad.”
Iran political prisoners continue the 109th week of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” hunger strike in 56 prisons, honoring victims of the uprising as 40th-day ceremonies turn into renewed anti-dictatorship protests. https://t.co/Sf8i1PIASC
— IRAN HRM (@IranHrm) February 24, 2026
The statement praised students who “courageously stand against the oppressors in the universities” and urged the public to safeguard academic institutions as centers of resistance: “We ask the general public to continue maintaining the university as a bastion of steadfastness and resistance against any form of dictatorship and fundamentalism by accompanying and supporting the struggling and revolutionary students.”
It also issued a clear warning “against the suppression of students,” reflecting growing concerns over security crackdowns in academic spaces.
Death Sentences and “Moharebeh” Charges
The campaign accused the regime’s authorities of accelerating repression through expedited trials and fabricated charges against detainees from the recent protests. According to the statement, many defendants are denied fundamental legal rights: “They are deprived of the right to choose an appointed lawyer and defend themselves and are subjected to torture beyond human endurance.”
Several cases were highlighted as emblematic of the current crackdown. Nineteen-year-old Mohammad Amin Biglari was reportedly sentenced to death by Judge Salavati in Branch 15 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court. Fifty-five-year-old Mohammad Abbasi received a similar sentence from the same branch. Both were charged with “Moharebeh” (“enmity against God”), a capital offense frequently used in political cases.
109th Week of #NoToExecutionTuesdays | Feb 24, 2026
Active in 56 prisons nationwide.“The 40th-day ceremonies for the martyrs of the January uprising have become a symbol of continued resistance and solidarity.”
“Between Jan 21 and Feb 19, 2026, more than 350 people were… pic.twitter.com/amA2YquO6t— SIMAY AZADI TV (@en_simayazadi) February 24, 2026
The statement also reported the suspicious death of Abdullah Paraki in detention after his arrest by intelligence forces in Mehrestan County.
In addition, the death sentence of Mehrab Abdullahzadeh—one of the detainees from the 2022 uprising—has been confirmed in Urmia Prison, placing his life in immediate danger.
Surge in Executions
The campaign presented alarming statistics regarding executions. It stated: “The despotic mullahs’ regime executed more than 350 people in the month of Bahman (January 21 to February 19), which shows a five-fold increase in execution statistics compared to Bahman of last year.”
Furthermore, “in the early days of the month of Esfand (since February 20) until now, 33 prisoners have also been executed,” signaling what activists describe as a systematic escalation of capital punishment as a tool of political control.
Amid the recent public arrests of minors in Iran 🇮🇷, @UNICEF is calling for the immediate release of all detained children. https://t.co/4D87lPJ7Rg pic.twitter.com/UE5FUkVHqR
— United Nations Geneva (@UNGeneva) February 20, 2026
Call for International Action
Addressing the international community, the campaign appealed directly to global institutions and public opinion: “We call upon international and human rights communities and awakened human consciences to be the voice of the captive prisoners and the people of Iran and not allow the lives of the children of this land to be taken by criminal oppressors.”
Families of detainees were also urged to speak out: “Raise your voices; this is the only way to confront the pressures of this dictatorial sovereignty.”
I join UN experts in calling on Iran to halt the death penalty, account for the whereabouts of those disappeared after nation-wide protests, and to refrain from abusively labelling protesters as "terrorists" https://t.co/sdkotz6FpT
— Prof Ben Saul – UN SR Human Rights & Counterterror (@profbensaul) February 23, 2026
109 Weeks of Resistance in 56 Prisons
On February 24, 2026, prisoners in 56 facilities—including Evin, Ghezel Hesar, Greater Tehran, Adelabad Shiraz, Vakilabad Mashhad, Urmia, Sanandaj, Zahedan, and dozens of others—participated in the hunger strike as part of the campaign’s 109th week.
What began as a protest against capital punishment has evolved into a sustained nationwide movement linking prisoners, students, families of victims, and broader segments of society. As the statement underscores, the campaign sees itself as part of a larger struggle for “justice, freedom, and equality,” positioning the fight against executions at the center of Iran’s ongoing confrontation with authoritarian rule.