May 13, 2025 — In the 68th Week of protest, political prisoners condemn the execution of 96 individuals since late April, and demand accountability for judges behind death sentences.
In a powerful act of resistance against the Iranian regime’s escalating use of the death penalty, political prisoners across 41 prisons in Iran are continuing their hunger strike for the sixty-eighth consecutive week as part of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign. This collective protest comes as the Iranian regime intensifies its execution spree, with more than 96 individuals, including one woman, executed since April 21, 2025—an average of at least four hangings per day.
In their joint statement, the prisoners participating in this campaign emphasize that the wave of executions is not merely a legal issue but a tool of political repression. They highlight the recent death sentences issued to Amin (Peyman) Farahavar Gisavandani, a poet and political prisoner in Gilan, and Ehsan Faridi, a student at the University of Tabriz—both condemned under the charges of moharebeh (enmity against God) and baghi (armed rebellion). These verdicts, they assert, were delivered without access to independent legal counsel, violating even the most basic standards of due process.
Week 68 of #NoToDeathPenalty Tuesdays: hunger strikes in 41 prisons across Iran.
Political prisoners warn of rising executions and urge:
“Raise the flag of resistance. Let protest be heard loud and clear.”#StopExecutionsInIranhttps://t.co/64JpNQ6rlz— IRAN HRM (@IranHrm) May 13, 2025
The prisoners call on international human rights organizations and anti-death penalty activists to expose the identities of the judges responsible for these inhumane rulings, including Judge Ahmad Darvish-Goftar, and to submit formal complaints to independent judicial bodies. They urge the global community not to remain silent as the Iranian regime continues to execute prisoners—many of them political detainees—under vaguely defined charges and unfair trials.
“At a time when the regime is incapable of resolving its internal and external crises, the pace of executions has intensified,” the statement reads. “We must not allow this criminal regime to take the lives of citizens with impunity.”
The statement also pays tribute to Barzan Mohammadi, a former political prisoner and ardent supporter of the campaign who recently died in a tragic accident. The prisoners extend their condolences to his family and reaffirm their commitment to carrying his memory forward through their ongoing struggle.
Ehsan Faridi, a university student in Tabriz, has been sentenced to death for “enmity against God”—with no public evidence, no fair trial.
He is the youngest political prisoner on death row in Iran. #StopExecutionsinIranhttps://t.co/o9ka9Gu0rF pic.twitter.com/Cer0HaJcvG— IRAN HRM (@IranHrm) May 12, 2025
The campaign’s hunger strike, now in its 68th week, spans prisons across Iran, including but not limited to: Evin, Qezel-Hesar, Greater Tehran, Zahedan, Mashhad, Tabriz, Urmia, Khorramabad, Sanandaj, Marivan, and Rasht. Both men’s and women’s wards are involved, underscoring the widespread participation and solidarity among incarcerated activists from across the country.
This growing movement reflects a broader and deepening discontent within Iranian society, where decades of state violence, authoritarianism, and systemic injustice have fueled calls for freedom, equality, and democracy. The prisoners reaffirm that “freedom is the right of a nation that has paid a heavy price for decades in its pursuit of liberty.”
As the Iranian regime continues its lethal crackdown, the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign stands as a powerful symbol of nonviolent defiance from within prison walls—a cry for justice that resonates far beyond them.