In the 82nd consecutive week of the nationwide campaign “No to Execution Tuesdays”, prisoners in 49 facilities across Iran once again raised a united voice against the issuance and implementation of death sentences.
What began as an initiative led by political prisoners in Qezel Hesar Prison in Karaj has now become one of the most significant platforms of resistance against capital punishment in Iran.
This week’s statement highlighted the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the fate of five political prisoners sentenced to death.
The campaign also drew attention to the Supreme Court’s confirmation of the death sentence against Sharifeh Mohammadi, a labor rights activist and political prisoner. This development once again exposed the Iranian judiciary’s ruthless repression and deep-rooted injustice.
Families’ Protests and Gatherings
A defining feature of this week’s campaign was the presence of families of prisoners on death row. Despite severe economic hardship and constant security pressures, mothers and fathers carried portraits of their children and reaffirmed their demand for justice with the slogan “No to Executions.”
In a video statement, the families declared:
“Today, Tuesday, August 19, 2025, we — the families of political prisoners — stand in solidarity with “No to Execution Tuesdays” and demand the abolition of the death sentences against our children and their immediate release.”
Among the families, a video of the mother of Akbar Danshvarkar drew widespread attention on social media. Holding her son’s photo with a trembling voice filled with pain, she said:
“From the moment they abducted my son, my heart was broken. When I heard the news, I suffered a heart attack. My husband is also ill, unable to speak, and his heart is at risk. I beg international organizations to hear our cry for help.”
Her words painted a deeply human and heartbreaking portrait of Iran’s execution policies that not only threaten the lives of prisoners but also push their families into illness, despair, and social collapse.
