The campaign against the death penalty in Iran has entered a new phase. On Tuesday, February 18, 2025, prisoners across 36 prisons in the country staged a hunger strike in the 56th consecutive week of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign. Notably, inmates at Dizel-Abad Prison in Kermanshah joined the protest, marking a growing wave of resistance behind bars.
This campaign, which takes place every week to oppose capital punishment, issued a statement expressing solidarity with the family and friends of Amir Mohammad Khaleqi, a University of Tehran student who died under suspicious circumstances. The campaign holds the government responsible for his tragic death and urges nationwide student solidarity in protesting this injustice.
Persecution of Women
The statement highlights a disturbing rise in executions in Iran, with at least 55 people executed in February alone, including two women. Additionally, Sharifeh Mohammadi, a female political prisoner, faces an imminent threat, as her death sentence—previously overturned by the Supreme Court—has been reinstated.
The campaign against the death penalty also condemned the violent crackdown on protests in Dehdasht, where security forces used live ammunition against demonstrators. Furthermore, it shed light on a lesser-discussed but equally tragic form of the “death penalty”: the systematic deprivation of medical care for children battling cancer and other serious illnesses due to their families’ financial struggles.
A Nationwide Call to End Executions
Activists behind the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign assert that opposing capital punishment is not only a human rights demand but a necessity for structural change in Iran’s legal system.
“No to Execution Tuesdays” Campaign Marks 56th Week
On Tuesday, February 18, 2025, for the 56th consecutive week, the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign against the death penalty continued its hunger strike across 36 prisons.
The participating prisons include:
Evin Prison (Women’s Ward, Wards 4 and 8), Ghezel Hesar Prison (Units 3 and 4), Karaj Central Prison, Greater Tehran Prison, Khorin Varamin Prison, Arak Prison, Khorramabad Prison, Isfahan Asadabad Prison, Isfahan Dastgerd Prison, Ahvaz Sheiban Prison, Shiraz Nezam Prison, Adelabad Prison in Shiraz(Women’s and Men’s Wards), Borazjan Prison, Bam Prison, Kahnouj Prison, Tabas Prison, Joveyn Prison, Mashhad Prison, Qaemshahr Prison, Lakan Prison of Rasht (Women’s and men’s Wards), Roudsar Prison, Haviq Talesh Prison, Ardabil Prison, Tabriz Prison, Urmia Prison, Salmas Prison, Khoy Prison, Naqadeh Prison, Saqqez Prison, Baneh Prison, Marivan Prison, and Kamyaran Prison, Dizel Abad Prison (Kermanshah)
