Prisoners Mark 40th Week of Hunger Strike in the ‘No to Execution Tuesdays’ Campaign
On Tuesday, October 29, 2024, Iran’s “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign marked its 40th week as prisoners in 24 facilities—including Kahnuj Prison—continued their hunger strikes and protests against the country’s soaring execution rates. This grassroots campaign, initiated within Iran’s prison system, calls for international awareness and intervention to address the alarming use of the death penalty as a tool of repression.
In their latest statement, striking prisoners condemned the regime’s systematic reliance on executions to intimidate the population. This week, the Iranian Supreme Court confirmed the death sentences for four Sunni Baloch prisoners: Eido Shah-Bakhsh, Abdolghani Shah-Bakhsh, Abdulrahim Ghanbarzehi (Rahim Mir-Baluch), and Soleiman Shah-Bakhsh. These prisoners have spent over 16 months in isolation under severe conditions in Qezel Hesar Prison’s “secure unit,” facing the threat of immediate execution. The striking prisoners criticized the authorities for denying these individuals fair trials, calling the judicial process biased and devoid of justice.
The campaign is also a reaction to the steep increase in executions across Iran. This year alone, nearly 567 people have been executed. The recent execution of Jamshid Sharmahd, who endured four years in solitary confinement with no access to a fair trial or legal representation, underscored the extreme human rights abuses in Iran’s prison system.
Beyond the prison walls, the campaign has inspired family members of death row inmates to gather in protest outside Iran’s Parliament, chanting “No to Execution” in a bold stance against the state’s use of capital punishment. The prisoners commended these families, acknowledging their courage and resilience under constant threat.
The prisoners’ statement highlighted the importance of support from the global community. It called upon human rights advocates worldwide to join them in ending Iran’s “execution machine,” emphasizing the need for collective action and solidarity with those facing death sentences and unjust imprisonment. The prisoners also expressed profound solidarity with all people on death row and encouraged ongoing advocacy to bring attention to those unable to speak out due to the harsh conditions in Iran’s prisons.
STATEMENT: Kahnuj Prison Joins the “No to Execution Tuesdays” Campaign in Its 40th Week
“Approval of the Death Sentence for Four Campaign Members”
These days, the execution machine under the autocratic rule of Velayat al-Faqih operates on a runaway course and cannot stop. Under this medieval regime ruling Iran, we witness an alarming increase in executions daily. Since the beginning of this year, nearly 567 executions have been carried out, with 150 occurring in October alone. In the last week of October, 27 individuals were hanged, and 21 executions took place within just three days—amounting to an average of seven executions each day.
Tragically, yesterday, Jamshid Sharmahd was executed after four years of cruel imprisonment. Throughout this time, he was confined in a security detention center, where authorities prevented his transfer to a general prison, likely to conceal the torture and violations of his human rights.
In another repressive measure, on October 25, the court upheld the death sentences of four Baloch religious prisoners, forwarding the verdicts to the Tehran Security Prosecutor’s Office for execution. The prisoners—Eidou Shahbakhsh, Abdul Ghani Shahbakhsh, Abdol Rahim Ghanbarzehi, and Soleiman Shahbakhsh—are members of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign and have spent nearly 16 months in dire conditions in a “safe prison block” at Ghezel Hesar Prison. Their situation is precarious, with the threat of execution looming at any moment.
Recently, Tehran’s second criminal court sentenced five female political prisoners in Evin Prison, who protested against widespread executions, to a total of 27 months of additional imprisonment. Among them is Varisheh Moradi, who faces a death sentence and has been on a hunger strike for 19 days in protest against the issuance and expansion of death sentences.
Despite these oppressive measures and the atmosphere of terror in society, resistance continues. Last week, alongside the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign, families of prisoners sentenced to death held a protest rally in front of the parliament, chanting against executions and showing no fear of the repressive forces. We commend their courage and salute these resilient families.
In other news, a group of political prisoners from Kahnuj Prison in Kerman province announced in a letter that they will join the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign and begin a hunger strike this week.
In its 40th week, the campaign members in 24 different prisons strongly condemn the widespread executions in Iran, as well as the referral of the cases of four Baloch prisoners—who were sentenced in a dubious court lacking the right to a fair trial. Political activists and all conscientious individuals strive to be the voice for these humble souls in prisons and all those sentenced to death, calling for concrete support for their families. We emphasize that the only way to halt the execution machine is through collective action and solidarity.
In the 40th week, striking prisoners are participating in the following prisons:
Evin Prison (Women’s Ward, Ward 4 and 8), Ghezel Hesar Prison (Units 3 and 4), Karaj Central Prison, Tehran Grand Prison, Khorramabad Prison, Arak Prison, Isfahan Asadabad Prison, Shiraz Nezam Prison, Ahvaz Sheiban Prison, Bam prison, Mashhad Prison, Rasht Lakan prison(wwomen’s and men’s Blocks), Ghaemshahr Prison, Ardabil Prison, Tabriz Prison, Urmia Prison, Salmas Prison, Khoi Prison, Naghadeh Prison, Saqqez Prison, Baneh Prison, Marivan Prison, Kamyaran Prison, and Kahnuj Prison in Kerman Province.
Tuesday, October 29, 2024
