Continuation of hunger strikes in the 43rd week of the “No to Executions Tuesdays” Campaign in 25 different prisons
Hengaw: Tuesday, November 19, 2024
The “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign persists in its momentum, now coinciding with ongoing strikes by prisoners in 25 detention facilities across Iran.
The statement for the 43rd week of this campaign, a copy of which has been shared with Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, is presented below:
Escalation of Executions on the Anniversary of the November 2019 Uprising
Coinciding with the fifth anniversary of the November 2019 protests, the Iranian state has intensified its campaign of brutal executions and inhumane sentencing, particularly targeting young individuals arrested during the 2022 protests.
As reported last week, six individuals implicated in the “Ekbatan Case”—Milad Armon, Alireza Kafaei, Alireza Baramarz Pournak, Hossein Nemati, Navid Najaran, and Amir Mohammad Khosh Ighbal—were sentenced to death following a judicial process rife with contradictions, injustice, and ambiguity. Additionally, an unnamed political prisoner, Mohammad Mahdi , arrested during the 2022 protests, received a death sentence from Branch 5 of the Criminal Court of Khorasan Razavi Province.
Since last Tuesday, the religiously oppressive state in power in Iran has executed 28 individuals. This brings the total number of executions in November to over 133, including three women and 13 Afghan nationals. Notably, on November 6 alone, 18 people were executed.
In continuation of its criminal and barbaric executions, the state executed one prisoner in public and another, Ahmad Alizadeh, twice in Ghezel Hesar Prison—a profoundly inhumane act. Additionally, Ghafar Akbari was tortured to death at the Malekan detention center in East Azerbaijan Province, adding to the state’s catalog of atrocities.
We have also learned that Seyed Alireza Razavi a young man, sentenced to death for “corruption on Earth” and “waging war against God” by Judge Salavati, was secretly executed approximately 20 days ago in Ghezel Hesar Prison without his family being informed.
Amid the state’s intensified repression and escalation of executions, the resistance from imprisoned detainees continues to grow. For 43 consecutive weeks, members of the “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign in 25 prisons have held hunger strikes every Tuesday. Despite severe pressure from authorities, these detainees persist in their efforts to raise their voices against the state’s execution policies.
The “No to Executions Tuesday” campaign condemns all executions in Iran and urgently calls on the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, Ms. Mai Sato, to take immediate action to save the lives of prisoners condemned to death, a number that has increased excessively in recent days. The campaign also demands accountability for those responsible for these inhumane acts.
We further urge the global community to unite and actively support the “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign, amplifying the voices of helpless prisoners facing execution.
On Tuesday, November 19, 2024, prisoners in the following facilities will engage in hunger strikes as part of the campaign’s 43rd week:
Evin Prison (Women's Ward, Ward 4, and Ward 8), Ghezel Hesar (Units 3 and 4), Central Prison of Karaj, Great Tehran Penitentiary, Arak, Khorramabad, Asadabad Isfahan, Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan, Shiban Prison in Ahvaz, Naqadeh , Nezam Prison in Shiraz, Bam, Kahnuj , Mashhad, Qaemshahr , Lakan Rasht (Men’s and Women’s Ward), Ardabil, Tabriz, Urmia, Salmas, Khoy, Saqqez, Baneh, Marivan and Kamyaran Prison.
“No to Executions Tuesdays” Campaign
Tuesday, November 19, 2024
