Members of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” Campaign have gone on hunger strike in 22 different prisons as part of their 37th week of protests on Tuesday, October 8, 2024.
Today marks the 37th week of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign, which is active across 22 prisons nationwide. In their statement, prisoners highlighted the recent death sentence issued against political prisoner Hamid Hossein-Nejad Heydarani.
As the “World Day Against the Death Penalty,” proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly, approaches, Iran stands out for its severe use of capital punishment. The regime continues to execute prisoners publicly and now ranks first worldwide in the number of executions, with nearly 450 individuals executed since the beginning of 2023.
This is happening even as many countries globally are abolishing the death penalty or advancing efforts toward its elimination.
The full statement is as follows:
On the eve of the World Day Against the Death Penalty, the 37th “No to Execution Tuesdays” Campaign continues in 22 prisons.
The Iranian regime has intensified its execution practices in an apparent attempt to suppress public dissent against its brutality. On October 1 and 2 alone, 30 people were executed across various prisons, including three women. Additionally, a prisoner named Mahmoud Dahmarde, who was sentenced to death, lost his life in Zahedan prison due to a heart attack and lack of medical care.
In another alarming development, political prisoner Hamid Hossein-Nejad Heydarani was recently sentenced to death by the Urmia Revolutionary Court. Detained since March 2023, he was reportedly tortured into making forced confessions and sentenced to death without meeting even the minimum standards of a fair trial, facing charges of “Baghi,” a serious accusation that places his life in grave danger.
As we approach the “World Day Against the Death Penalty,” Iran’s regime continues to escalate its violent practices, conducting public executions and now leading the world in executions, with nearly 450 carried out since the beginning of 2023.
This escalation occurs even as many nations are moving toward abolishing or significantly reducing the use of the death penalty.
The “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign continues to call upon independent political, civil, and human rights organizations, both within Iran and internationally, to support efforts to save the lives of death row inmates in Iran. The campaign also urges the international community to hold the leaders of this regime accountable for over four decades of crimes against humanity, including the mass execution of prisoners.
On Tuesday, October 8, 2024, during the campaign’s 37th week, members of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign have undertaken hunger strikes in the following prisons:
Evin Prison (women’s ward, wards 4 and 8), Qazalhessar Prison (units 3 and 4), Karaj Central Prison, Greater Tehran Prison, Khoramabad Prison, Arak Prison, Asadabad Isfahan Prison, Shiraz Military Prison, Bam Prison, Mashhad Prison, Lakan Rasht Prison (women’s and men’s wards), Qaemshahr Prison, Ardabil Prison, Tabriz Prison, Urmia Prison, Salmas Prison, Khoy Prison, Naqdeh Prison, Saqqez Prison, Baneh Prison, Marivan Prison, Kamyaran Prison.
October 8, 2024
