The “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign in Iran has now reached its 57th consecutive week, encompassing 37 prisons across the country. Chubindar Prison in Qazvin is the latest facility to join this growing movement. Amid an alarming rise in state executions, prisoners across Iran initiated a hunger strike on February 25, 2025, demanding an immediate end to the regime’s rampant use of the death penalty.
A Surge in Executions Sparks National Protest
Iran is witnessing a sharp escalation in state-sanctioned killings, with 17 executions carried out in just two days—10 of them in Ghezel Hesar Prison alone. Beyond executions, the regime’s cruelty extends to deliberate medical neglect, which claimed the lives of three prisoners last week in Urmia, Lajevardi-Iranshahr, and Dehdasht prisons. These deaths have fueled further outrage among prisoners and human rights advocates.
The situation for political prisoners is especially dire. The Supreme Court recently denied retrials for political detainees Mehdi Hassani and Behrouz Ehsani, leaving them at imminent risk of execution. As the number of death sentences rises, activists warn that the judiciary—now led by Jafar Montazeri—has become a tool of oppression, fast-tracking unjust and arbitrary capital punishment.
Hunger Strike in Solidarity With the Campaign
In response to this intensified repression, prisoners in Qazvin announced that they would join the hunger strike on February 25, 2025, in solidarity with the “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign. This protest is aimed at halting the execution machinery of the regime and advocating for justice for all prisoners, regardless of their charges.
The hunger strike has gained momentum, with prisoners from 37 facilities nationwide participating. These include prominent prisons such as Evin, Ghezel Hesar, Karaj Central, and Greater Tehran, among many others. The unified message is clear: Iran’s prisoners and activists demand an end to the death penalty and the regime’s systematic brutality.
Political Prisoners Face Imminent Execution
The plight of political prisoners remains a focal point of the campaign. On February 23, 2025, the Supreme Court rejected the appeals of Mehdi Hassani and Behrouz Ehsani, both sentenced to death. Their cases exemplify the judiciary’s lack of independence and its alignment with security agencies. Activists fear that other prisoners, including Pakhshan Azizi and Varisheh Moradi in Evin Prison, Sharifeh Mohammadi in Lakan Prison (Rasht), and others, face similar fates.
The campaign has long warned that Jafar Montazeri’s appointment as head of the Supreme Court would deepen the judiciary’s complicity in state repression. Montazeri, formerly the Attorney General, has expedited baseless Revolutionary Court rulings that disproportionately target political prisoners. His leadership has exposed the judiciary’s role as a mere extension of the regime’s oppressive apparatus.
A Call for Global Solidarity
The “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign strongly condemns all executions, irrespective of the charges the regime fabricates against its victims. It calls on human rights defenders, political activists, civil society groups, and individuals worldwide to unite against the use of capital punishment as a tool of repression. Amplifying the voices of those on death row is crucial to countering the Iranian regime’s systematic abuse of power.
The campaign also underscores the urgent need for international pressure on Iran’s government to halt its execution spree and address the broader human rights crisis. Global solidarity is essential to challenge the regime’s use of capital punishment as an instrument of fear and control.
Prisons Participating in the Hunger Strike
The hunger strike now spans 37 prisons across Iran, including:
- Evin Prison: Women’s Ward, Wards 4 and 8
- Ghezel Hesar Prison: Units 3 and 4
- Karaj Central Prison
- Greater Tehran Prison
- Khurin Prison (Varamin)
- Arak Prison
- Khorramabad Prison
- Asadabad Prison (Esfahan)
- Dastgerd Prison (Esfahan)
- Sheiban Prison (Ahvaz)
- Sepidar Prison (Ahvaz)
- Shiraz Military Prison
- Adelabad Prison (Shiraz – Men’s & Women’s Wards)
- Borasjan Prison
- Ramhormoz Prison
- Bam Prison
- Kahnooj Prison
- Tabas Prison
- Jovin Prison
- Mashhad Prison
- Gonbad-e-Kavus Prison
- Qaemshahr Prison
- Rasht Prison: Men’s and Women’s Wards
- Roudsar Prison
- Haviq-Talesh Prison
- Dizelabad Prison (Kermanshah)
- Ardabil Prison
- Tabriz Prison
- Urmia Prison
- Salmas Prison
- Khoy Prison
- Naqadeh Prison
- Saqqez Prison
- Baneh Prison
- Marivan Prison
- Kamyaran Prison
- Chubindar Prison (Qazvin)
This unprecedented collective action demonstrates the unity and determination of prisoners across Iran to resist the regime’s escalating violence.
The Fight Against the Death Penalty
The “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign represents a growing resistance to Iran’s use of executions as a means of enforcing control and silencing dissent. With the judiciary now fully aligned with security agencies, the fight for justice has become more urgent than ever.
By raising awareness and rallying support both domestically and internationally, the campaign aims to bring an end to the regime’s systematic use of the death penalty and pave the way for a more just and humane society in Iran.
