As the hunger strike and sit-in by approximately 1,500 death row prisoners in Unit 2 of Ghezel Hesar Prison continue, more than 500 families of prisoners gathered outside the prison, calling for an immediate halt to executions.
For more than a week, the prisoners have maintained their protest against the implementation of death sentences, demanding an end to executions.
Holding placards bearing slogans such as, “Prison and execution are not the future Iran’s youth deserve,” the protesting prisoners expressed their support for the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign and declared that they would continue their protest until their demands are met.
On the seventh day of the strike, more than 500 relatives of the prisoners assembled outside Ghezel Hesar Prison, calling for the cancellation of death sentences. According to reports, security personnel stationed at the prison attempted to prevent the gathering from taking place in an effort to stop the families’ protest. Despite these efforts, the demonstrators remained at the site and continued chanting protest slogans.
As the prisoners completed the first week of their hunger strike, reports indicated that they had been deprived of certain basic necessities and that the physical condition of several participants had deteriorated. Restrictions on prisoners’ communications have also intensified in an apparent effort to prevent information about the protests from reaching the public.
The Iranian Resistance has called on the United Nations, the UN Special Rapporteurs, and international human rights organizations to support the striking prisoners and take urgent action to prevent the implementation of death sentences and save the lives of those on death row. It has also stressed the need for an international fact-finding delegation to visit prisons across Iran.
