On Tuesday, October 1, 2024, the 36th week of hunger strike in the “Tuesdays Against Executions” campaign took place in 22 prisons across Iran. With Arak Prison joining the campaign, the number of participating prisons has now reached 22.
Among those taking part are women wards of Evin and Lakan Prison of Rasht, along with several other female political prisoners throughout the country.
In a statement by the striking prisoners, it was revealed that in the past 10 days alone, the regime has executed 23 people. On Monday, September 30, two individuals were publicly hanged in the city of Khomeyn. Between September 14th and September 25th, the authorities executed 20 people in Shiraz prison alone. None of these figures have been reported by state media.
The prisoners paid tribute to the victims of the “Bloody Friday” massacre in Zahedan, where the regime brutally murdered at least 120 worshippers and protesters at the Makki Mosque. The “Tuesdays Against Executions” campaign strongly condemned these atrocities and affirmed its unwavering solidarity with the grieving mothers and families, continuing to stand firm in their resistance.
The statement also emphasizes that regardless of the charges behind the executions, the primary goal is suppression and maintaining a climate of fear. Given the regime’s increasing international crises and its inability to resolve them externally, it has resorted to the easiest form of retaliation—carrying out more executions, particularly targeting prisoners and those already on death row.
The prisoners warn that in the coming weeks, there is a high likelihood of even more executions due to these pressures. They express deep concern for those currently awaiting execution, noting that these individuals are often the first targets when the regime seeks to cover up its domestic and international failures.
In recent weeks, the regime has sentenced several political prisoners to death, including Mehdi Hassani, Behrooz Ehsani, and Mojtaba Vafaee Sani, supporters of the opposition People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). Another political prisoner, Hatem Oudzmir, has also received a death sentence. Additionally, two female political prisoners, Pakhshan Azizi and Sharifeh Mohammadi, are among those facing the death penalty.
The striking prisoners called on all independent and freedom-loving human rights activists, both inside and outside of Iran, to raise their voices for those condemned to execution.
