The “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign continued into its 131st week on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, with prisoners and political prisoners in 59 prisons across Iran participating in a hunger strike. Participants reiterated their opposition to the continued imposition and execution of death sentences.
Commemorating the Anniversary of the Deaths of Mehdi Hassani and Behrouz Ehsani
In this week’s statement, the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign commemorated the anniversary of the deaths of Mehdi Hassani and Behrouz Ehsani, two political prisoners and members of the campaign.
According to the statement, on July 26, 2025, the two prisoners were transferred for the execution of their death sentences after prison guards raided the political prisoners’ ward at Ghezel Hesar Prison and subjected them to physical assault. The statement further noted that other political prisoners in the ward were also attacked and that the families of Behrouz and Mehdi have not yet been informed of their burial locations.
Death Sentences and International Reactions
In another section of the statement, the campaign referred to the execution of political prisoner Mehdi Khanaki on July 22, who did not have access to fair trial.
It also referred to the death sentences issued for Eassa Chari, Amirhossein Akbari Monfared, Sepehr Amirzadeh, Akbar Arabzadeh, and Mehdi Arabzadeh, noting that at least 303 executions have been carried out in Iran since the beginning of the Persian year on March 21, 2026.
The statement also noted that the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission expressed concern last week over the death sentences imposed on prisoners associated with the so-called “Alikhani Square” case in Isfahan and called for a halt to the executions.[1]
Support for the Hunger Strike at Ghezel Hesar Prison
The “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign’s statement also highlighted the ongoing hunger strike by prisoners in Unit 2 of Ghezel Hesar Prison. According to the statement, the strike involving approximately 1,500 prisoners has been going on for two weeks, yet prison authorities and other responsible officials have not responded to their demands.
Expressing solidarity with the prisoners in Unit 2 of Ghezel Hesar Prison, the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign called on the international community and people of conscience around the world to amplify the voices of these prisoners and all individuals facing execution.
What is the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign?
More than two years after its launch, the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign first started to oppose the clerical regime’s pervasive use of the death penalty. Calling for a halt to the use of the death penalty in Iran, the campaign has become the largest and most enduring protest movements inside Iran’s prisons.
Despite ongoing security pressure, repeated threats, communication restrictions, and punitive measures against prisoners, the movement has persisted and continues to attract new participants each week.
A significant portion of these striking prisoners consists of female political prisoners serving their sentences in the women’s wards of Evin Prison, Qarchak Prison in Varamin, Sepidar Prison in Ahvaz, Adelabad Prison in Shiraz, Zahedan Prison, Yazd Prison, and Lakan Prison in Rasht.
[1] Notably over the past ten days, four of the 12 prisoners involved in the case of “Alikhani Square” have been executed. Erfan Esfandiari, 18, and Gol-Mohammad Mohammadi, 23, were hanged on July 19. Another two were executed on Tuesday, July 28, in public in Alikhani Square in Isfahan.
