On May 16, 2025, the city of Liverpool joined a growing wave of public action across the United Kingdom against the death penalty in Iran. The event was part of the “No to Executions” campaign, launched in cities including London, Manchester, Birmingham, and Sheffield, and continuing from May 13 to 17.
In Liverpool, the campaign was led by the Academics in Exile Association, a group of Iranian scholars affiliated with the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). The event featured a photo exhibition and informational bookstall, drawing attention to the sharp rise in executions and the Iranian regime’s escalating repression of political dissent.
The exhibition condemned the regime’s recent issuance of death sentence against PMOI-affiliated political prisoners and called for the immediate and unconditional release of all political detainees. Held in solidarity with Iran’s prisoners of conscience, the event highlighted the alarming rise in torture and state-sanctioned executions across the country.
In connection with the event, the Academics in Exile Association posted the following on their X platform:
May 16
Thread 1 – In solidarity against state violence, the Book Table will be organized in the city of Liverpool on 16th May to demand an end to executions in Iran.
Thread 2 – Amnesty International demands an urgent halt to the planned executions of Reza Moradi & Ali Zare, two political prisoners in #Iran subjected to torture and unjust trials. Their lives hang in the balance. Global voices must rise to stop these atrocities.
Thread 2: Amnesty International demands an urgent halt to the planned executions of Reza Moradi & Ali Zare, two political prisoners in #Iran subjected to torture and unjust trials. Their lives hang in the balance. Global voices must rise to stop these matrocities.@AmnestyIran pic.twitter.com/Mp4GZMYuuv
— Academics In Exile Association (@iranianacademic) May 17, 2025
In addition to raising awareness about the ongoing wave of executions, the Liverpool event expressed support for the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign—a protest movement initiated by political prisoners inside Iran.
Participants also urged the UK government to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization and called for the closure of the Iranian regime’s embassy in London, citing its role in espionage and state-sponsored terror.
Members of the Iranian diaspora, local citizens, and human rights activists attended the exhibition, voicing strong support for international legal action against Iran’s leadership for crimes against humanity. The event reflected growing public concern in the UK over Iran’s human rights violations and the need for a firm international response.
The Academics in Exile Association emphasized that the international community must stand in solidarity with the Iranian people and support their struggle for justice, freedom, and dignity. The Liverpool exhibition, as part of the broader national campaign, continues to shed light on the regime’s systematic brutality and amplify calls for meaningful, lasting change.
