On Tuesday, September 15, 2026, marking the 138th week of the No to Executions Tuesdays Campaign, political prisoners across 62 prisons nationwide staged a hunger strike to once again voice their opposition to the rampant use of the death penalty.
Honoring the Memory of Victims of the 2022 Protests
On the eve of the fourth anniversary of the 2022 nationwide protests, which were triggered by the brutal killing of Mahsa Amini (Zhina) by the ruling dictatorship, the No to Executions Tuesdays Campaign paid tribute to all victims of this uprising, particularly the heroic women who played a vanguard role in these protests.
Participants in the campaign also underscored the continuation of public protests and the demand for freedom, equality, and democracy. In a section of this week’s statement, they noted: “We salute our compatriots who, exhausted by the oppression of the rulers, took to the streets to claim their rights and cried out for freedom. Despite brutal repression, these protests were not suppressed; rather, like embers beneath the ashes, they flared up in January 2026 and continue to this day, until they reach their ultimate destination: freedom, equality, democracy, and the establishment of a popular government.”
Surge in Executions and Death Sentences for Protestors
In another part of its statement, the campaign warned against the surge in executions and death sentences issued for several prisoners from recent protests, announcing that at least 61 people have been executed since the beginning of September.
The statement cited the cases of several prisoners facing the death penalty, including Arghavan Fallahi, Marziyeh (Sevda) Ebrahimi, Alireza Sepahi, and Hossein Rasoulinasab.
The campaign announced that the judicial appeal for Arghavan Fallahi, a political prisoner sentenced to death in Evin Prison, has been rejected, and a death sentence has also been issued for Marziyeh Ebrahimi in Bandar Abbas.
The statement further emphasized that, on the threshold of the new academic year, the regime is attempting to silence the voice of dissent in universities.
Call on the United Nations to Stop Executions and Repression
At the close of their statement, the No to Executions Tuesdays Campaign called upon the UN Third Committee session, UNSR Mai Sato, and other UN rapporteurs to condemn human rights violations, the suppression of the Iranian people, and the widespread executions, and to provide “practical solutions” to halt the executions and repression.
The campaign also urged Iranians inside and outside the country to take a firm and practical stance against the executions. It is worth noting that last week, Prof. Javaid Rehman, the former UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, expressed his support for the No to Executions Tuesdays Campaign, emphasizing the necessity of confronting political executions and ending the impunity of the masterminds and perpetrators of widespread human rights violations.
About the No to Executions Tuesdays Campaign
The No to Executions Tuesdays Campaign, now in its third year, has become the most widespread, enduring, and influential protest movements inside Iran’s prisons. Despite intensified security pressure, persistent threats, restrictions on communication, and punitive measures against participants, the protest movement has not been stopped.
A significant number of the striking inmates 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 Rasht Prison.
