Prisoners in various prisons went on hunger strikes this week, protesting the surge in executions and repression, while expressing solidarity with the bereaved families of those executed. Reports indicate that one person was hanged every six hours as part of the escalating executions.
The hunger strike persisted into its 14th consecutive week on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, marked as the “Tuesday of Nine Executions.” Prisoners from Evin Prison (including Women’s Wards, 4, 6, and 8), Qezel-Hesar, Markazi Karaj, Khorramabad, Khoy, Naqadeh, Saqqez, Mashhad, and other facilities joined the strike, protesting the recent wave of executions.
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Statement:
“Every day, inhumane death sentences are imposed on freedom-loving men and women, as well as for ordinary crimes. To the human rights and international organizations seeking evidence to condemn and address these executions effectively, we say this: for every six hours of silence and appeasement, the life of a young Iranian is taken. Toomaj Salehi is among those targeted. We call on all awakened consciences to be the voice of executed prisoners and their grieving families.”
On Sunday, April 28, political prisoners in Qezel-Hesar Prison, participating in the same strike campaign, issued a statement condemning the death sentence against Toomaj Salehi, Habib Driss, Reza Rasaei, and others. They emphasized that “Toomaj’s sentence is merely the tip of the iceberg in the regime’s ocean of blood.”
The strike comes at a time when over 71 people have been executed since the start of this year, with at least 49 executions occurring in the first 10 days of May alone. Among those executed in 2024 are at least three women, one of whom was a juvenile offender—only 19 years old at the time of her execution.
