In the 129th week of the No to Execution Tuesdays campaign, political prisoners in 58 prisons across Iran staged a hunger strike on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, once again expressing their opposition to the continued issuance and implementation of death sentences.
Over the past two years, the campaign has become the largest and most sustained protest movement inside Iran’s prisons. Despite ongoing security pressure, threats, communication restrictions, and punitive measures, the campaign has continued to expand, with more prisoners joining each week.
A significant number of the hunger striking prisoners are women political prisoners, currently serving their sentences in the women’s ward of Evin Prison (Tehran), Qarchak Prison (Varamin), the women’s ward of Sepidar Prison (Ahvaz), the women’s ward of Adelabad Prison (Shiraz), the women’s ward of Zahedan Prison, the women’s ward of Yazd Prison, and the women’s ward of the Lakan Prison in Rasht.
Continued Pressure on Women Participants
According to the campaign, in early June, Shiva Esmaeili, Marzieh Farsi, Forough Taghipour, and Zahra Safaei were subjected to disciplinary measures that revoked their access to prison telephones. Prison authorities reportedly canceled their telephone cards, preventing them from contacting their families. The measure was imposed after the four prisoners participated in the No to Execution Tuesday’s campaign and chanted slogans protesting the implementation of death sentences.
The primary objective of prison authorities in intensifying pressure on the women political prisoners held in Evin Prison’s women’s ward is to prevent their participation in the No to Execution Tuesday’s campaign. To that end, authorities have reportedly planned to transfer these resilient prisoners to other facilities, particularly the notorious Qarchak Prison.
Borujen Prison Joins the No to Execution Tuesdays Campaign
The campaign’s 129th weekly statement also announced that, with the participation of Borujen Prison, the number of prisons taking part in the weekly hunger strike has increased to 58. The statement warned of the continuing rise in executions and called for urgent action to prevent the execution of non-political prisoners sentenced to death in Ghezel Hesar Prison, as well as support for political prisoners under death sentence, particularly those arrested during the January 2026 protests.
According to the campaign, in addition to the dozens of people who have already been executed in connection with the January 2026 protests, more than 100 other political prisoners are currently under death sentence and remain at risk of execution.
Strike and Sit-in by 1,500 Death-Row Prisoners in Ghezel Hesar Prison
In the meantime, approximately 1,500 death-row prisoners in Unit 2 of Ghezel Hesar Prison observed the second consecutive day of their hunger strike and sit-in on Tuesday, July 14. This protest was launched to protest the transfer of six of their cellmates to solitary confinement for execution, as well as the continuous issuance and execution of death sentences.
The striking prisoners are demanding an immediate halt to the regime’s execution machine, legal reforms, and the abolition of the death penalty for drug-related charges.
In October 2025, these prisoners also went on a seven-day hunger strike, forcing the regime to postpone the execution of death sentences. The death-row prisoners of Unit 2 at Ghezel Hesar have declared that they will continue their resistance until their demands to halt the executions are met.
Growing Public Support for the No to Execution Tuesdays Campaign
As the campaign entered its 129th week, groups of young people and protesters in Tehran, Qom, Shiraz, Jahrom, Shahin Shahr, and Ahvaz expressed their opposition to the death penalty and their support for political prisoners by displaying protest leaflets.
Images released from these actions show participants gathering in public spaces to convey their opposition to executions. The demonstrations were part of the continuing public support for the No to Execution Tuesday’s campaign, which has also received backing from various social groups in recent weeks.
