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UN Rapporteurs Join “No to Execution Tuesdays” Hunger Strike as Campaign Enters 144th Week

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UN experts join 144th week of No to Execution Tuesdays hunger strike in solidarity with Iranian political prisoners.

UN Special Rapporteur Andrea Bolaños Vargas and former UN expert David R. Boyd join Iran’s 144th week of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” hunger strike; Maryam Rajavi, Canadian officials, and global supporters stand with political prisoners across 66 prisons.

UN Special Rapporteur Andrea Bolaños Vargas Joins the Campaign

Andrea Bolaños Vargas, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, joined the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign with a solidarity hunger strike on Tuesday, 27 October 2026 — the 144th consecutive week of the prisoners’ weekly protest.

She stated:
“I join #NoToExecutionTuesdays in the solidarity hunger strike for the human rights defenders that are being jailed and threatened with death for their work. At least 46 political prisoners and protesters have been executed in Iran since March 2026. More than 100 others remain on death row. The executions should end and those detained released.”

The campaign, which began in early 2024 in Ghezel Hesar Prison, has grown into a nationwide act of resistance spanning 66 prisons. Prisoners choose Tuesdays because it is the day death-row inmates are typically transferred to solitary confinement ahead of execution. Despite intensifying repression and a sharp rise in executions, the hunger strikes continue.

Former UN Special Rapporteur Dr. David R. Boyd Joins the Action

Dr. David R. Boyd, former United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, also announced he was joining the solidarity hunger strike.

He wrote:
“I am joining a solidarity action with political prisoners in Iran participating in #NoToExecutionTuesdays. On Tuesday October 27, I’m going to start a 24-hour hunger strike. #hungerstrike #Iran #stopexecutions #abolishdeathpenalty #NoToExecutionTuesdays”

Statement by Maryam Rajavi

Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), highlighted the growing international and domestic solidarity:

“As the #NoToExecutionsTuesdays campaign marks its 144th week, global and national solidarity against executions in Iran is reaching new heights. With UN Rapporteurs joining the hunger strike and chants rising across Iran demanding a halt to executions and the release of political prisoners, resistance against the regime’s death penalty machine has never been stronger.”

Canadian Government Solidarity

Canada’s Office of Human Rights, Freedoms and Inclusion also expressed support:

“On #NoToExecutionsTuesday, Canada stands in solidarity with Iranians demanding justice, accountability and human dignity, and we are calling on Iran to immediately end the use of the death penalty and release all those arbitrarily detained. Iranians should be free to express political opinions and peaceful dissent. We call on Iran to immediately stop all executions.”

Iran Freedom Network Appreciation

The Iran Freedom Network thanked both experts for their solidarity:

Thank you, Special Rapporteur Andrea Bolaños Vargas, for joining #NoToExecutionTuesdays and standing in solidarity with human rights defenders and political prisoners facing the death penalty in Iran. Your voice and this hunger strike send a powerful message. The executions must stop, and those unjustly detained must be released.

Thank you, Dr. David R. Boyd, for this powerful act of solidarity. Standing with political prisoners in Iran and speaking out against executions is a meaningful expression of humanity and courage. No one should face execution for their beliefs or peaceful activism.

Voices of Iranian Freedom Advocates

Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the Iranian Resistance and the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) joined the action in large numbers. On Tuesday, 27 October 2026, countless supporters across the diaspora and inside Iran declared their solidarity with political prisoners in 66 prisons.

Many joined the 24-hour hunger strike themselves, expressed gratitude to the UN rapporteurs for amplifying the prisoners’ voices, and reiterated the call to #StopExecutionsInIran and #NoToExecutionTuesdays.

Their messages emphasized that international solidarity strengthens the resistance against the regime’s use of the death penalty and that the campaign will continue until executions end and political prisoners are free.

 

The 144th week of the campaign once again demonstrated that the prisoners’ weekly hunger strikes, now supported by successive UN experts, remain a powerful symbol of defiance against executions in Iran.

 

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