Week 51: Iran’s ‘No to Executions’ Campaign Expands to 34 Prisons, Amplifying Calls for Justice

The “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign, a coordinated protest movement initiated by political prisoners in Iran, has entered its 51st week as of January 14, 2025. This campaign opposes the regime’s extensive use of the death penalty through weekly hunger strikes and statements condemning executions. It has now expanded to 34 prisons across the country, with recent participation from facilities such as Talesh Prison, the women’s ward of Adelabad Prison in Shiraz, Borazjan Prison, and Joveyn Prison.

In their latest statement, participants condemned the confirmation of death sentences for four political prisoners. They highlighted the regime’s increasing reliance on executions to instill fear and suppress dissent amid escalating economic, cultural, and political crises. The statement noted that since the previous Tuesday, at least 17 individuals have been executed, with over 102 executions since the beginning of December.

The campaign emphasizes that abolishing the death penalty in Iran is achievable only through solidarity and collective action. Participants include inmates from various prisons, such as Evin Prison (women’s ward, wards 4 and 8), Ghezel Hesar Prison (units 3 and 4), Karaj Central Prison, Greater Tehran Prison, and many others across the country.

This growing movement reflects a deepening resistance to the regime’s use of capital punishment as a tool of repression, with calls for justice and human rights resonating among both prisoners and the wider Iranian community.