Political prisoners across Iran are on hunger strike in the eighty-sixth week of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign, held in 52 prisons, to protest the execution-driven policy of the ruling dictatorship. In this week’s statement, the prisoners referred to the anniversary of the nationwide protests of 2022 and declared:
“As the anniversary of the 2022 nationwide protests arrives, the day that shook the very foundations of the ruling regime, we honor the memory of Jina (Mahsa) Amini and all the martyrs of that great and historic movement. The uprising, which the despotic regime sought to suppress only by opening fire on youth and women and shooting into the eyes of protesters, continues to resist in the alleys and streets.”
The regime was so terrified of the uprising that it had no choice but to reveal its inhumane nature. After the 2022 popular uprising, it horrifyingly escalated death sentences, and in these three years alone, it has executed more than 3,175 people by hanging. Among them, 49 were political or ideological prisoners, and 95 were women. Furthermore, at least 34 prisoners were executed last week alone, and since late August 2025 more than 126 people have been hanged. These figures expose the growing human catastrophe and violations of human rights in Iran, making the responsibility of the international community and all freedom-loving people heavier in supporting the struggle against these merciless executions.
It is also fitting to remember champion wrestler Navid Afkari, who was executed on September 12, 2020, sacrificing his life in the path of freedom and justice. The sacrifices during the uprisings of January 2018, November 2019, and 2022 have shown that the people of Iran will never surrender to repression and tyranny.
The “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign strongly condemns the issuance of the death sentence for Pejman Toubrehrizi on the fabricated charge of “corruption on earth” and for Kurdish prisoner Naser Bekrzadeh on security-related charges. It calls upon all human rights activists and society to oppose these unlawful and unjust rulings.
We, as members of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign, while expressing solidarity with the honorable people and oppressed miners of Saqqez, and with the family of Mohammad Rashidi who was killed last night by regime suppression forces, declare that we will not rest until the complete abolition of the death penalty and the establishment of true justice in Iran. We will continue to raise this powerful voice of justice, and the defense of human rights and dignity, with greater strength every week.
On Tuesday, September 16, 2025, in its eighty-sixth week, the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign will continue with hunger strikes in 52 prisons across Iran.
