In a significant act of defiance, prisoners in 27 Iranian prisons have joined the “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign by launching hunger strikes to protest the sharp rise in executions. The movement, now in its 47th week, warns of the escalating rate of death sentences being carried out by the regime as a tool to maintain its grip on power.
Prisoners from Tabas and Khorin Varamin prisons are the latest to join the campaign, bringing the total number of participating prisons to 27. This comes amid alarming reports that at least 40 prisoners have been executed in the past week alone, with many hanged for minor drug-related offenses.
The campaign also highlights systemic injustice, including the case of Mohammad Amin Mahdavi Shayesteh, transferred to Ghezel Hesar Prison after a questionable trial on espionage charges, and political prisoner Saman Mohammadi Khiareh, who has been held for 15 years and now faces imminent execution after being moved to solitary confinement.
Activists behind the campaign have issued a stark warning, urging resistance against what they describe as the regime’s “execution machinery.” They call on the Iranian people to amplify the voices of prisoners on death row and their families, declaring that “the day of public awakening to dismantle the gallows in Iran is near.”
#IranProtests: 46th Week of “No to Executions Tuesdays” Campaign Marks #InternationalHumanRightsDayhttps://t.co/b1d2FqUseC
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) December 10, 2024
The “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign continues to grow, reflecting both the regime’s increasing reliance on executions and rising resistance against its oppressive policies.
The full statement from striking prisoners participating in the No to Executions Tuesdays campaign reads as follows:
With the participation of the “Tabas” and “Khorin Varamin” prisons, the No to Executions Tuesdays campaign has now expanded to 27 prisons in its 47th week.
In recent months, the rate of executions has skyrocketed, as the criminal regime seizes every opportunity to take lives.
Following the fall of the criminal Assad regime in Syria, a drug factory connected to Iran’s velayat-e faqih government was discovered, where tens of tons of drugs had been stored and distributed globally. This is happening while, on a daily basis, prisoners in Iran are executed for possessing just a few grams of drugs.
Since last Tuesday alone, at least 40 individuals have been executed, some of whom were hanged for alleged drug offenses.
The oppressed people of Sistan and Baluchestan, who face systemic deprivation and double oppression, suffered immensely this week, as at least 10 of the executed were from this region.
Additionally, in recent days, a prisoner named Mohammad Amin Mahdavi Shayesteh, who was sentenced to death on espionage charges after a vague and unjust trial, has been transferred to Ghezel Hesar Prison. There is a serious risk that his sentence could be upheld and carried out.
Furthermore, a political prisoner named Saman Mohammadi Khiarah, who has been unjustly imprisoned for 15 years and sentenced to death, has been placed in solitary confinement in Ghezel Hesar Prison, raising fears that his execution could soon take place.
In recent days, several prisoners from Tabas Prison in South Khorasan Province and Khorin Varamin Prison have announced in separate letters that they are joining the No to Executions Tuesdays campaign. They declared they would go on hunger strike every Tuesday in protest against the rising number of executions. With their participation, the number of prisons involved in the campaign has now reached 27 in its 47th week.
Former Norwegian MP @larsrise highlights that both political and ordinary prisoners in #Iran abstained from voting despite promises of privileges. He assures @Mojahedineng prisoners that their perseverance and #hope for freedom inspire the world. pic.twitter.com/TAaUjFibRT
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) August 15, 2024
The No to Executions Tuesdays campaign, once again warning of the imminent danger to the lives of death row prisoners, declares that standing against executions is essential. This regime executes to cling to power, and it is necessary to resist this brutal and inhumane practice by amplifying the voices of those condemned to death and their families.
The campaign’s activists urge all compatriots to take the initiative in resisting the regime’s execution machinery and emphasize that the day of public awakening to bring down the gallows is drawing near.
On Tuesday, December 17, 2024, members of the No to Executions Tuesdays campaign will participate in hunger strikes across the following 27 prisons:
Evin Prison (Women’s Ward, Wards 4 and 8), Ghezel Hesar Prison (Units 3 and 4), Karaj Central Prison, Greater Tehran Prison, Arak Prison, Khorramabad Prison, Asadabad Isfahan Prison, Dastgerd Isfahan Prison, Sheiban Ahvaz Prison, Shiraz Military Prison, Bam Prison, Kahnouj 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, Tabas Prison, and Khorin Varamin Prison.
Tuesday, December 17, 2024
No to Executions Tuesdays Campaign