News Center – Participants in the "Tuesday No to Execution" campaign affirmed the continuation of their protests inside prisons, amid escalating executions and the expansion of strikes in dozens of facilities, in a step reflecting their commitment to defending the right to life.

The protest campaign known as "Tuesday No to Execution" extended to its 139th week, with Bandar Abbas and Soume'eh Sara prisons joining 64 other prisons across the country, in the framework of a strike aimed at confronting the continuous rise in the implementation of death sentences and defending the right to life.

Participants in the campaign issued a statement in which they affirmed that the "Tuesday No to Execution" campaign has entered a broader phase, noting that human rights reports document the continuation of the implementation of death sentences in the country. "Last week witnessed the issuance of new death sentences against a number of detainees, amid fears of their immediate implementation," pointing to the issuance of a death sentence against a student from the city of Izeh, in a step reflecting the widening circle of judicial decisions that threaten the right to life.

The statement noted that human rights data indicate the implementation of a death sentence against a 45-year-old woman and mother of six children after she was convicted of drug possession in Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan. It confirmed that this incident has again shed light on the humanitarian and social repercussions of the death penalty in the country. One of those sentenced to death was also transferred to solitary confinement in Qezel Hesar Prison, amid serious fears for his life.

The statement stressed that despite the continuation of repressive practices, forms of resistance inside prisons continue. With the joining of Bandar Abbas and Ziabar prisons and Soume'eh Sara in Gilan, the number of prisons participating in the campaign has risen to 64. It noted that hunger strikes and protests continue in a reality in which the number of executions recorded during the current year, according to published statistics, has reached no less than 448 executions.

The statement confirmed that this horrific statistic has not escaped the eyes of international observers. In its latest report on the suppression of the 2022 protests, Amnesty International included the names of 87 Iranian officials for review and criminal investigation into their possible role in violations related to the suppression of those protests. At the same time, the European Parliament expressed its concern about the repression, the execution of protesters, and the conditions of prisoners in Iran, stressing the necessity of respecting fundamental rights and the right to life.

The statement added that the participants oppose policies that are lenient with perpetrators of violations against the Iranian people, whether prisoners convicted of general crimes or political prisoners. They demand effective mechanisms to investigate gross human rights violations in Iran and hold those responsible accountable, stressing the necessity of punishing all those involved in killings and violations against prisoners and protesters.

The "Tuesday No to Execution" campaign has turned in these circumstances into a symbol of prisoners' protest against the death penalty. It launched from inside prisons to remind public opinion of the issue of the right to life and the necessity of guaranteeing a fair trial. Members of the campaign are staging a hunger strike in 64 prisons today, Tuesday, 22 September, in its 139th week.

Participation includes several prisons, among them: Evin Prison (men's and women's wards), Qezel Hesar Prison (Units 2, 3, and 4), Karaj Central Prison, Fardis Karaj Prison, Greater Tehran Prison, Qarchak Prison, Khorin and Ramin Prison, Choubindar Prison in Qazvin, Ahar Prison, Arak Prison, Langarud Prison in Qom, Khorramabad Prison, Borujerd Prison, Yasuj Prison, Asadabad Prison in Isfahan, Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan, Sheiban Prison in Ahvaz, Sepidar Prison (men's and women's wards), and Nizam Prison in Shiraz, and many other prisons.