Center for Human Rights in Iran
January 21, 2024 — One year ago, a small group of prisoners on death row in Iran initiated a brave and powerful act of resistance—they would wage a hunger strike every week on Tuesdays to protest and draw attention to the Iranian government's notorious and widespread use of the death penalty.
What began with just a few individuals refusing to accept brutal and unjust executions has now spread across Iran, evolving into a national movement in 34 prisons across the country. The hunger strike campaign is shining a light not only on the many hundreds who have unjustly and unlawfully fallen victim to the Islamic Republic's gallows, but also on the immense courage and resilience of those behind bars who are resisting one of the world's leading executioners.
Vulnerable Prisoners Risk All to Protest Surging Executions
“The significance of the ‘No to Executions Tuesdays' campaign cannot be overstated. In Iran, where the state's use of the death penalty is not only skyrocketing but also weaponized as a tool of political suppression, these acts of resistance carry immeasurable risk,” said Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI).
“For these prisoners, their hunger strike is the only avenue of protest, a desperate plea to halt the continuous slaughter of innocent lives under the guise of justice. They are not just opposing their own executions; they are resisting a government that has made human life disposable in its quest to maintain power,” said Ghaemi.
The hunger strikes began on January 28, 2024, just one day before the scheduled execution in Evin Prison of four Kurdish political prisoners—Mohsen Mazloum, Vafa Azarbar, Mohammad Faramarzi, and Pejman Fatehi—after sham convictions based on torture and forced “confessions.” In protest, a group of inmates on death row at Qezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, Alborz province, announced their decision to initiate a hunger strike every Tuesday to call for an end to the death penalty.
In a letter addressed to the “Honorable People of Iran,” they wrote:
“We, a group of prisoners on death row, are asking for your help. …In Qezel Hesar, thousands of prisoners have been sentenced to death, and the cases of hundreds of us have been sent for enforcement. We may be executed in the coming days and weeks. Among us are people with all kinds of charges, drug offenders, qisas (retribution) cases, as well as political prisoners and prisoners of conscience waiting to be executed.
“In order to be heard, every Tuesday starting this week, we will go on hunger strike. We chose Tuesday because often it is the last day our cellmates are alive before being transferred to solitary confinement for execution.
“We ask you to defend all prisoners sentenced to death, regardless of their political or non-political charges, because we have all been unfairly tried. [The authorities] want to take away our right to live. With your support, perhaps these executions could be stopped. Be our voice, and the voice of our families in any way you can. Dear people, please come to our aid.”
The authors of the above statement chose to remain anonymous, explaining that “if we reveal our names, our execution would be expedited.”
Soon, prisoners in Evin Prison's Women's Ward in Tehran, including imprisoned Nobel Peace Laureate Narges Mohammadi, also joined the weekly hunger strike. More inmates in other prisons followed, with the number of prisoners holding hunger strikers growing steadily.
This week marks 52 consecutive weeks of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” hunger strike campaign, which has now spread to 34 prisons across Iran—and continues to grow.
Every Tuesday, prisoners who are sentenced to death, political prisoners, and many others who are not even facing the death penalty themselves but have fallen victim to the Islamic Republic's unjust judicial system and kangaroo courts, stand in solidarity by refusing food in protest against the government's rampant and unlawful use of executions.
In response, these prisoners often face harsh retaliation from authorities, including solitary confinement and denial of family visits and phone calls. Despite these repressive measures, their campaign has persisted steadfastly for over a year.
Violating Every International Law on Capital Punishment, Executions Surge Across Iran
In 2024, executions in Iran surged to nearly 1,000 known hangings—making the Islamic Republic the leading per capita executioner in the world and underscoring the authorities' increasing reliance on the death penalty. This number is a significant under-count, as many executions go unrecorded in Iran.
These executions violate every single international law and standard regarding capital punishment.
At least 54 political prisoners are on death row in Iran right now, and executions of protesters and dissidents have surged—despite the fact that their convictions are for peacefully expressing dissent, which is protected under both Iranian law and international covenants to which Iran is a State Party, and are also routinely based on so-called “confessions” that were extracted under torture.
In addition, the regime has also increasingly moved to target women. In 2024, at least 31 women were executed, the highest number since 2008. Pakhshan Azizi, a 40-year-old Kurdish humanitarian worker and civil society advocate, now faces imminent execution after the Supreme Court upheld her death sentence following a sham trial riddled with coerced confessions, inadequate defense, and severe due process violations.
The disproportionate application of the death penalty to Iran's minority communities—especially its Kurdish and Baluch communities—is stark. In 2024, at least a third of those executed in Iran were just from the Kurdish and Baluch communities.
The courage and resilience of the prisoners in the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign should inspire the international community to take action to stop the Iranian government's death machine.
CHRI urges government leaders from around the world to:
-
Loudly voice their support for these brave prisoners and their campaign of hunger strikes and condemn Iran's unlawful use of the death penalty.
-
Demand an immediate halt to all executions in Iran and call for a moratorium on the government's use of the death penalty.
-
Sanction Iranian officials, including judges, involved in the unlawful application of the death penalty.
“It is not enough to be appalled by the statistics of executions; we must stand in solidarity with those who are putting their lives on the line to end this injustice, and impose meaningful consequences on the Iranian authorities for this state-sanctioned murder,” Ghaemi said.
Personal Letter From Political Prisoner Imprisoned For Over 25 Years
Saeed Masouri, one of the most prominent voices in the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign and a political prisoner who has been incarcerated for over 25 years, shared his harrowing experiences of witnessing the execution of friends and fellow prisoners. His letter is filled with pain and longing but also with an unyielding commitment to the cause and an urgent call to action for the international community.
“This is the 25th December (and Christmas) I have spent in prison. I don't know what more these eyes must witness, or how much more this heart must endure. From the time I was sentenced to death and kept in solitary confinement, when every meeting felt like the last, and every sound of a door opening or closing echoed like the chime of a death knell, I have carried this unbearable weight. Even after 25 years, I still experience the psychological reflex of dread with every sound resembling a door's clank.
“I have felt the pain of losing cellmates and friends to executions—those who were taken away never to return…
“I still hear the cries and wails of their grieving families. To this day, I don't know how I managed to endure the sight of a six-year-old girl named Mahna drawing a picture of herself and her mother standing next to her father at the gallows in front of Gohardasht Prison. She had drawn it while waiting for her last visit with her father before his body was returned to her. The memory of her anticipation to kiss her father's face one final time haunts me, and I still don't understand how my heart hasn't stopped beating from the overwhelming pain of such memories.
“Perhaps, after 25 years, I have become so deeply submerged in the atrocities of this murderous regime that what I've witnessed now feels like only a drop in the ocean of their crimes. In the past, executions occurred every few weeks or months. Now, on average, we witness an execution every four hours. Just during this Christmas period alone, nearly 25 innocent people were executed—that's almost one execution every 2.5 hours.
“This time, I am not writing to the people of my homeland, who are already doing everything within their power. Instead, I address this letter to all awakened consciences within international human rights organizations, particularly the UN Human Rights Council, the Office of the High Commissioner, the UN special rapporteurs—especially Ms. Mai Sato—and all influential figures. I write to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola,
“I earnestly plead with you to go beyond expressing concern or condemning these executions. Take decisive and serious action to prevent them. These numbers are not mere statistics—they are human lives being extinguished daily. At the very least, compel this “government of executions” to adhere to basic human rights standards by conditioning diplomatic and political relations on the cessation of this killing machine. Diplomatic efforts must aim to halt these atrocities—if necessary, by referring Iran's human rights violations to the UN Security Council.
“Every hour and day of delay results in more lives lost, as the blood of Iranian people continues to be spilled. If more effective action had been taken earlier, perhaps even Italian journalist Cecilia Sala would not have fallen victim to Iran's hostage-taking policies—especially during the Christmas season.”
As we mark one year of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign, we must remember that each Tuesday, these prisoners reaffirm their commitment, reminding the world that they are still here, and still fighting for a future free from executions and injustice. To amplify their voices, CHRI has compiled a series of powerful statements they have issued over the past year, in the hope that their calls for justice and an end to executions will be heard and supported throughout the world >>>
Comments