In Tehran, Rasht, Bukan, and Shahriar
During the 66th week of the “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign, families of political prisoners sentenced to death, along with groups of young protesters, staged demonstrations in Tehran, Rasht, Bukan, and Shahriar, expressing their opposition to death sentences. The protests were marked by placards and handwritten signs bearing slogans such as “No to Executions.”
Gathering in Front of Evin Prison in Tehran
In Tehran, the families of ten political prisoners sentenced to death gathered outside Evin Prison. Holding up photos of their loved ones — Vahid Bani-Amarian, Pouya Ghobadi, Mohammad Taghavi Sangdehi, Abolhassan Montazer, Babak Alipour, Akbar (Shahrokh) Daneshvarkar, Mehdi Hassani, Behrouz Ehsani Eslamloo, Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani, and Manouchehr Fallah — they chanted slogans such as “No to Executions” and “Immediate Annulment of Death Sentences.” Their handwritten signs clearly demanded the abolition of the death penalties.
Protests in Shahriar, Bukan, and Rasht
In Shahriar, young protesters joined the campaign by holding placards with slogans like “No to Executions” and “No to Executions Tuesdays.” Similarly, in Bukan, protesters displayed banners supporting the campaign. In Rasht, young activists expressed their solidarity with political prisoners on death row by holding handwritten signs with the hashtag #NoToExecution.
Profiles of Political Prisoners on Death Row
Vahid Bani-Amarian, born in 1992 in Sonqor, holds a Master’s degree in Management from Khajeh Nasir Toosi University of Technology in Tehran. He has been repeatedly arrested in recent years due to political activities and was sentenced to prison and exile on charges including “acting against national security” and “membership in the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran.” He suffers from several medical conditions and is in urgent need of healthcare.
Pouya Ghobadi, also born in 1992 and a graduate of Electrical Engineering from Sanandaj University, was arrested in February 2024 and transferred to Ward 209 of Evin Prison. He had previously been arrested and sentenced to long prison terms.
Babak Alipour, born in 1991 in Amol and residing in Tehran, holds a bachelor’s degree in Law. He was arrested in December 2023 and remained in Ward 209 of Evin Prison for four months without formal charges. Babak had also been arrested in 2018 for alleged “membership in the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran” and served time in prison.
Akbar (Shahrokh) Daneshvarkar, born in 1966 and based in Tehran, was previously an engineer before being dismissed from his profession. He was arrested at his home in December 2023. He is married and the father of a 12-year-old son.
Seyed Mohammad Taghavi, a veteran political prisoner and survivor of the 1980s prison purges, holds a degree in Graphic Design from the University of Tehran. He had previously been imprisoned in 2020 for alleged support of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran.
