A Plea to Stop the Executions
On Tuesday, February 4, 2025, the families of death row political prisoners gathered in front of Evin Prison, demanding the revocation of their loved ones’ death sentences. Holding up photographs of their imprisoned relatives, the families of death row political prisoners raised their voices in protest. They carried placards reading “No to Execution” and “Abolish the Death Penalty.”
In December 2024, six political prisoners—Vahid Bani Amarian, Pouya Ghobadi, Babak Alipour, Seyed Abolhassan Montazer, Seyed Mohammad Taghavi, and Ali Akbar Daneshvarkar—were sentenced to death, imprisonment, and exile on charges of “membership in the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).”
On January 23, 2025, Amnesty International issued an urgent warning on its official website, revealing that these six prisoners, sentenced to death by Branch 26 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court on December 1, 2024, face imminent execution. They were convicted under the charge of “rebellion through membership in opposition groups against the Islamic Republic.”
Amnesty International strongly condemned the trial, highlighting reports of torture and mistreatment used to extract forced confessions. The organization stressed that these coerced confessions undermine the legitimacy and transparency of the judicial process. The accused have repeatedly denied allegations of armed action against the state.
A Growing Movement Against Executions
On the same day, Tuesday, February 4, 2025, the “No to Execution” campaign marked its 54th consecutive week, with prisoners across Iran joining the movement through hunger strikes. This campaign has now spread to 35 prisons, including the women’s ward of Evin Prison, Lakan Prison in Rasht, and Adelabad Prison in Shiraz, where detainees are actively participating.
In their latest statement, the prisoners declared:
“The ‘No to Execution’ campaign and the prisoners’ Tuesday hunger strikes are evolving into a nationwide movement, growing stronger every week. May this campaign serve as a small contribution to the struggle for freedom, justice, and an end to corruption and discrimination in our captive homeland.”
