Political Prisoners Continue Nationwide Hunger Strike Against Executions

Political prisoners in 56 prisons across Iran staged hunger strikes for the 121st consecutive week as part of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign, protesting the Iranian regime’s escalating use of executions as a tool of repression and intimidation.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, the campaign strongly condemned the recent executions of political prisoners and protesters, describing the death penalty as the regime’s primary instrument for spreading fear and maintaining authoritarian control.

The prisoners called on political activists, human rights defenders, labor organizations, teachers, students, retirees, and the international community to unite in a coordinated effort to stop executions in Iran.

Executions and Fear Tactics Intensify Across Iran

The statement accused the ruling establishment of increasingly relying on violence and intimidation to suppress growing public dissent. According to the campaign, the regime has militarized public spaces through affiliated groups, promoted the use of weapons in public gatherings, and exploited children in state-organized events to normalize repression against citizens and protesters.

The campaign also condemned the execution of political prisoner and Baluch citizen Abdoljalil Shahbakhsh in Zahedan Prison, as well as the execution of Mohammad Abbasi, one of the detainees arrested during Iran’s January uprising.

Abbasi’s daughter, Fatemeh Abbasi, is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence in Evin Prison.

“Execution Is the Regime’s Main Tool of Suppression”

The striking prisoners stressed that executions in Iran are not simply judicial punishments but systematic instruments of state terror rooted in the ideology of the ruling Velayat-e Faqih system.

“Execution is the regime’s most important tool for suppression and state murder,” the statement said, emphasizing that authorities use fear and violence to silence society and prevent future uprisings.

The campaign argued that the growing number of executions reflects the regime’s fear of mounting social unrest, particularly among young people confronting poverty, corruption, discrimination, and systemic injustice.

Call for International Action Against Executions

The “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign urged political, civil, labor, and human rights activists to strengthen solidarity against executions and amplify the voices of Iranian prisoners worldwide.

The prisoners described open opposition to the death penalty as a decisive measure in the struggle for freedom and justice in Iran and pledged to continue their weekly hunger strikes until executions and repression are ended.

Hunger Strikes Continue in 56 Iranian Prisons

The 121st week of the campaign included coordinated hunger strikes in 56 prisons across Iran, including Evin Prison, Qezel Hesar Prison, Greater Tehran Prison, Zahedan Prison, Adelabad Prison in Shiraz, Urmia Prison, Sanandaj Prison, and many other detention facilities nationwide.

The “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign remains one of the longest-running organized prison protests in Iran, drawing increasing international attention to the regime’s widespread use of executions and its ongoing crackdown on dissent.