The 101st week of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign was marked by the continuation of hunger strikes by prisoners in 55 prisons across Iran. After more than one hundred weeks, this campaign has evolved beyond a protest confined to prison walls, becoming an enduring symbol of resistance, collective courage, and the defense of human dignity.
Its persistence under harsh and repressive conditions demonstrates that even in the most closed and controlled environments, the demand for justice and the right to life has not been extinguished, and that hope remains alive.
According to the statement released during the 101st week of the campaign, the organizers expressed gratitude for the widespread public and family support shown during the 100th week and called for further strengthening of public solidarity with the “No to Execution” movement. The statement emphasized that the expansion of social support can weaken the machinery of repression and the implementation of death sentences, paving the way toward the abolition of this inhumane punishment.
In another section of the statement, the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign, coinciding with the birth of Jesus Christ, extended New Year greetings to Christians and wished freedom and liberation for all citizens living under the pressure and repression of a religious government. The text cited a quote attributed to Jesus Christ: “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.”
The 101st week of the campaign took place amid parallel developments, as protests and strikes by Tehran’s bazaar merchants began on Sunday and subsequently spread to several other cities.
The Central Role of Justice-Seeking Families
Alongside public protests, the families of political prisoners and of those executed in recent years have played a pivotal role in sustaining and expanding the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign. The continuous presence of mothers, fathers, and other members of justice-seeking families holding images of their loved ones has become one of the most visible and powerful expressions of this movement.
Chanting slogans such as “No to execution,” “Support Tuesdays Against the Death Penalty,” “Execution never, for no one,” and “Free our children,” these families have articulated their demands with clarity. According to those close to them, this presence represents a conscious effort to halt the cycle of executions in the country. This steadfastness has been decisive in transforming the campaign into a broad-based social movement.
Unprecedented Expansion of Protests in the 101st Week
In its 101st week, the nationwide “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign has entered a new phase of impact. Having continued on a weekly basis for nearly two years in prisons and cities across the country, the movement reached one of its most expansive moments this week, with broad participation from justice-seeking families, students, and diverse social groups.
The accelerating pace of issuing and carrying out death sentences, particularly against political prisoners and young people, has propelled the campaign beyond a limited protest, transforming it into a nationwide outcry in defense of the “right to life” and against the death penalty.
