The “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign will stage a hunger strike in 41 prisons across the country on Tuesday, May 13, for the sixty-eighth consecutive week.
While the wave of executions in Iran has intensified, with at least 96 prisoners—including one woman—executed in just the past three weeks, the “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign has reported the continuation of protest hunger strikes in dozens of prisons across the country.
At the same time, two other political prisoners have received harsh death sentences. Amin (Peyman) Farahavar Gisavandani, a poet from Gilan province, has been sentenced to death by Judge Ahmad Darvish-Goftar on charges of “rebellion and enmity against God.” Ehsan Faridi, a student at the University of Tabriz, was also sentenced to death by Branch 2 of the Tabriz Revolutionary Court on charges of “enmity against God.” Reports indicate that these verdicts were issued without the presence of lawyers chosen by the defendants. Both prisoners are supporters of the MEK (People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran), the largest opposition group to Iran’s regime.
In a statement, the “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign referred to the accelerated issuance and implementation of death sentences under Iran’s regime, calling on international institutions to pursue the judges who issue these rulings through independent human rights bodies and to act to stop this cycle of violence.
The campaign also commemorated Barzan Mohammadi, a former political prisoner and supporter of the protest movement, who recently died in an accident. The statement extended condolences to his family and companions.
The full statement of the sixty-eighth week of the “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign:
Continuation of the “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign’s hunger strike in 41 prisons during its sixty-eighth week
Death sentences issued for two political prisoners
According to published reports, the issuance and implementation of death sentences by courts under Iran’s regime continue unabated. Since late April, more than 96 prisoners, including one woman, have been executed—an average of at least four executions per day.
In recent days, Amin (Peyman) Farahavar Gisavandani, a poet and political prisoner from Gilan, was sentenced to death by Judge Ahmad Darvish-Goftar on charges of “rebellion and enmity against God.” Ehsan Faridi, a student at the University of Tabriz, was also sentenced to death by Branch 2 of the Tabriz Revolutionary Court on the charge of “enmity against God.” Notably, these inhumane verdicts were issued without the prisoners having access to legal representation of their choice.
We call on human rights organizations and anti-death penalty advocates to expose the judges responsible for these rulings and to file complaints against them through independent human rights bodies. As the regime proves incapable of resolving its internal and external crises, the pace of executions has increased. Confronting executions in such a climate is an urgent and undeniable necessity. In every corner of this land, the flag of resistance to executions must be raised, and voices of protest must be heard. This criminal regime must not be allowed to take citizens’ lives with ease. Freedom is the right of a nation that has paid a heavy price for decades in pursuit of liberty, equality, and democracy.
The “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign honors the memory of Barzan Mohammadi, a former political prisoner and supporter of this movement, who tragically lost his life in a devastating accident. The campaign extends its condolences to his family and all those involved in the movement.
