For the 21st consecutive week, prisoners in Iran have gone on hunger strike as part of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign.
On Tuesday, June 18, 2024, prisoners across Iran joined in this week’s strike. In a statement accompanying their protest, they condemned the Iranian government’s policy of “hostage-taking” and criticized what they called the West’s appeasement, describing both as threats to human rights and as enabling an increase in executions.
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The statement from prisoners participating in the 21st week of the hunger strike reads as follows:
“The Islamic Republic’s Hostage-Taking Policy and Western Appeasement is a Dagger Against Human Rights and a Danger of an Increase in Executions.”
This week, we went on a hunger strike at a time when we are witnessing the arrest of a large number of women, political activists, teachers, and honorable retirees of our country who have peacefully protested simply for not acquiescing to the oppressive laws.
In addition, the prisoners’ statement highlighted the recent release of Hamid Nouri, a former Iranian official convicted of crimes against humanity for his role in the 1980s massacres, as an example of the regime’s ongoing “hostage-taking” policy. The statement condemned this release, facilitated through what they termed “appeasement” by Western nations, as a severe betrayal of human rights.
Appeasement, a dagger against human rights
This appeasement by the West can be seen as a dagger against human rights, its defenders, and the Iranian public, the least of which will be to embolden the Islamic Republic in violating the fundamental rights of the people, especially those on death row.
The prisoners’ statement also acknowledged the progress of the justice movement in Iran over recent years but emphasized that the recent deal underscored a sobering reality: the Iranian people must rely solely on their own efforts to achieve their rights and cannot depend on Western policies.
Despite escalating repression, such as cutting off prisoners’ phone and visitation access in Unit 3 of Qezel-Hesar Prison and transferring political prisoners to solitary confinement, which are aimed at silencing the “No to Execution Tueasdays” campaign, the prisoners remain resolute. They condemned the continued arrests, the hostage-taking policy of the Islamic Republic, and what they called the West’s enabling stance toward such policies.
As part of their 21st week of hunger strike on Tuesday, June 18, 2024, the prisoners across multiple facilities—including Ghezel Hesar (Units 3 and 4), Evin (Wards 4, 6, and 8), Khorramabad, Karaj Central, Khoy, Naqadeh, Mashhad, and Saqqez prisons—will persist in their protest against the issuing and execution of death sentences, standing firmly in their commitment to oppose these inhumane practices.
Striking Political Prisoners ” No to Execution Tuesdays ” Campaign
It should be noted that since January 29, 2024, political prisoners in Karaj’s Qezel-Hesar Prison announced that they would go on hunger strike every Tuesday to protest the widespread executions in this and other prisons. Political prisoners in other prisons also announced to join them.
The prisoners announced that in light of the campaign’s goal of stopping the execution machine, prisoners in various prisons across the country will go on hunger strike every week to the campaign, known as “Black Tuesdays,”.
It should be noted that thousands of prisoners are awaiting execution in Qezel-Hesar Prison and other prisons, and at least 8 political prisoners named Kamran Sheikheh, Mojahed Kourkouri, Reza Rasaei, Mansour Dehmardeh, Fazel Bahramian, Mehran Bahramian, Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani, Abbas Driss, etc. are at risk of being executed.
