On Tuesday, December 30, 2025, political prisoners across Iran will mark the 101st week of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign by launching coordinated hunger strikes in 55 prisons nationwide. This action coincides with ongoing strikes and protests by Tehran’s bazaar merchants, reflecting a growing wave of resistance against repression and state violence in Iran.
Nationwide Hunger Strikes in 55 Prisons Across Iran
As part of the 101st week of the campaign, prisoners in 55 facilities—including Evin Prison, Qezel Hesar, Greater Tehran Penitentiary, Adelabad Prison in Shiraz, Sepidar Prison in Ahvaz, Urmia Prison, Mahabad Prison, and Sanandaj Prison—are participating in a collective hunger strike. The widespread participation underscores the nationwide scope of opposition to executions within Iran’s prison system.
Surge in Executions and Death Sentences to Suppress Uprisings
According to the campaign’s weekly statement, Iranian authorities have sharply intensified executions in recent days to prevent the escalation of popular uprisings. Over the past eight days alone, more than 96 prisoners have been executed, including a woman put to death in Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad. Human rights activists warn that executions are being used as a tool of fear and deterrence amid rising social unrest.
Solidarity Between Prisoners and Tehran Bazaar Protests
The statement highlights the convergence of prisoner resistance with street-level protests, noting that Tehran’s bazaar merchants have been on strike and protesting since Sunday against government tyranny, economic hardship, and corruption. These protests have reportedly spread to several other cities, despite heightened security measures and repression.
Death Sentences Against Kurdish Political Prisoners
The campaign strongly condemned the recent issuance of death sentences against two Kurdish political prisoners: Mehrab Abdollahzadeh, held in Urmia Prison, and Younes Bakhshi, imprisoned in Mahabad. Activists say these cases exemplify the regime’s continued targeting of ethnic minorities and political dissidents through capital punishment.
A Growing Prison-Based Movement Against the Death Penalty in Iran
As it enters its 101st week, the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign extended Christmas greetings to Christian compatriots in Iran and reaffirmed its message of hope and resistance, quoting Jesus Christ: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.”
Campaign organizers expressed gratitude to families, supporters, and activists who stood with the movement during its 100th week and called for expanded domestic and international support to stop executions and work toward the abolition of the death penalty in Iran.
Launched by political prisoners, the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign has become one of the longest-running and most organized acts of resistance inside Iran’s prisons, exposing the systematic use of executions and demanding an end to state-sanctioned killings.
