In the 81st week of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign, political prisoners in 49 prisons across Iran have declared a hunger strike to protest what they describe as an “unprecedented wave of executions” and “escalating repression” by the clerical regime.
In a statement marking the campaign’s 81st week, organizers condemned the sudden transfer of five political prisoners — Vahid Bani-Amerian, Pouya Ghobadi, Babak Alipour, Akbar (Shahrokh) Daneshvarkar, and Mohammad Taghavi — from Greater Tehran Prison to Qezel Hesar Prison. The statement said this move was “an act strongly condemned by Amnesty International.”
Two other detainees, Babak Shahbazi and Omid Tabari Moghadam, were also transferred to Ghezel Hesar “after being beaten,” a measure the campaign described as part of “the escalating pressure on political prisoners” and the “unprecedented increase in the implementation of death sentences in the country.”
81st Week of “No To Execution Tuesdays” Campaign in 49 Prisons https://t.co/K8hW2K0OLg pic.twitter.com/joReNxC4Zb
— Iran Focus (@Iran_Focus) August 12, 2025
According to the campaign, Amer Paraki Balochzehi, a Baloch political prisoner, has been moved to solitary confinement in Zahedan Prison “for the implementation of his death sentence,” and his life is “in grave danger.” The statement highlighted that “on August 6 alone, 20 individuals were hanged,” and “since July 23, more than 110 people have been executed in Iran.”
Despite this surge, the campaign noted, “the resistance of prisoners and the people continues.” It cited the example of Semirom, where “the shopkeepers and brave people… shut down their markets and shops to protest the death sentences of two brothers, Fazel and Mehran Bahramian, making their voices of protest heard by all.”
The campaign issued a direct appeal to families of prisoners sentenced to death:
“Do not hide the issuance of death sentences for your children and relatives — publicize them widely. Gather in public places and raise your voices against these inhumane sentences.”
From Water Shortages to Anti-Execution Rallies, #Iranians Protest Regime's Total Failurehttps://t.co/3xv4MshlBJ
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) August 5, 2025
It also called on all people of Iran and the world “to stand with these families and to rise up against the machinery of execution in Iran by every means and tool available.” The statement concluded:
“Only through uprising and resistance, courage, and a loud collective voice can this cycle of death be ended.”
Hunger Strike Across 49 Prisons: Political prisoners in 49 facilities — including Evin, Ghezel Hesar, Greater Tehran, Qarchak, Zahedan, Shiraz, Mashhad, Rasht, Tabriz, Urmia, and Sanandaj — joined the August 12 hunger strike in solidarity with those facing imminent execution.