{"id":71010,"date":"2025-02-25T17:47:04","date_gmt":"2025-02-25T16:47:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iranfreedom.org\/en\/?p=71010"},"modified":"2025-02-28T07:46:05","modified_gmt":"2025-02-28T06:46:05","slug":"the-no-to-executions-tuesdays-campaign-represents-a-growing-resistance-to-irans-use-of-executions-as-a-means-of-enforcing-control-and-silencing-dissent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iranfreedom.org\/en\/news\/2025\/02\/the-no-to-executions-tuesdays-campaign-represents-a-growing-resistance-to-irans-use-of-executions-as-a-means-of-enforcing-control-and-silencing-dissent\/71010\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran\u2019s \u201cNo to Executions Tuesdays\u201d Campaign: A Nationwide Movement Against State Repression"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Iran\u2019s<\/p>\n

The \u201cNo to Executions Tuesdays<\/a>\u201d campaign in Iran has now reached its 57th consecutive week<\/a>, 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\u2019s rampant use of the death penalty.<\/p>\n

A Surge in Executions Sparks National Protest<\/strong><\/p>\n

Iran is witnessing a sharp escalation in state-sanctioned killings, with 17 executions carried out in just two days\u201410 of them in Ghezel Hesar Prison alone. Beyond executions, the regime\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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\u2014now led by Jafar Montazeri\u2014has become a tool of oppression, fast-tracking unjust and arbitrary capital punishment.<\/p>\n

Hunger Strike in Solidarity With the Campaign<\/strong><\/p>\n

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 \u201cNo to Executions Tuesdays\u201d campaign. This protest is aimed at halting the execution machinery of the regime and advocating for justice for all prisoners, regardless of their charges.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s prisoners and activists demand an end to the death penalty and the regime\u2019s systematic brutality.<\/p>\n

Political Prisoners Face Imminent Execution<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

The campaign has long warned that Jafar Montazeri\u2019s appointment as head of the Supreme Court would deepen the judiciary\u2019s 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\u2019s role as a mere extension of the regime\u2019s oppressive apparatus.<\/p>\n

A Call for Global Solidarity<\/strong><\/p>\n

The \u201cNo to Executions Tuesdays\u201d 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\u2019s systematic abuse of power.<\/p>\n

The campaign also underscores the urgent need for international pressure on Iran\u2019s government to halt its execution spree and address the broader human rights crisis. Global solidarity is essential to challenge the regime\u2019s use of capital punishment as an instrument of fear and control.<\/p>\n

Prisons Participating in the Hunger Strike<\/strong><\/p>\n

The hunger strike now spans 37 prisons across Iran, including:<\/p>\n