A group of female political prisoners supporting the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) who are incarcerated in the women’s ward of Evin Prison joined the prisoners’ hunger strike today, Tuesday, February 20, 2024.
Their objective was to denounce the escalating frequency of executions in Iran. The hunger strikes against the death penalty, aimed at condemning the imposition of the death penalty, was first launched on Tuesday, January 30, 2024, by death-row inmates at Qezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, following the executions of detained protesters Mohammad Qobadlou and Farhad Salimi.
Hunger Strikes against the Death Penalty
This was the fourth round of hunger strikes against the death penalty initiated by political prisoners across several prisons, including Evin, Qezel Hesar, Mashhad, Karaj, Khorramabad, and Saqqez. The campaign vehemently denounces the executions and demands an immediate cessation of such actions.
On Tuesday, January 30, several death-row prisoners in Qezel Hesar made an announcement: “In order to amplify our voices, we will commence a hunger strike every Tuesday. We have chosen Tuesdays because this day often marks the final moments for our fellow inmates, who are usually transferred to solitary confinement a few days prior.”
The ongoing resistance of political prisoners against the clerical regime’s killing machine persists amidst a concerning escalation in the issuance of death sentences.
