The 72nd week of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign continues in 47 different prisons. On Tuesday, June 10, with the participation of Ahar Prison, the campaign marks its 72nd round across 47 prisons in the country. Prisoners participating in the campaign are going on hunger strike to protest the regime’s widespread and brutal executions.
In their statement, the prisoners condemned the large number of executions carried out in the Persian calendar month of Khordad (May–June) as well as the execution of Afghan nationals.
The full statement from the prisoners participating in the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign reads:
The continuation of the 72nd week of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign in 47 different prisons, now joined by Ahar Prison
Iran’s execution-driven regime continues its weekly acceleration of death sentences. Since May 22 alone, more than 95 people have been executed. On just one day, June 2, sixteen individuals were executed—eight of them in Ghezel Hesar Prison.
Seventieth Week of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” Campaign in Iran’s Prisons
Meanwhile, the authoritarian rulers, incapable of addressing the country’s deep economic and livelihood crises, have tried over the past year to suppress public demands through repression and executions. Tragically, this wave of repression has also targeted Afghan nationals residing in Iran. In recent months, executions of Afghan citizens have increased, depriving defenseless individuals—who have no voice to defend themselves—of their right to life at the hands of Iran’s execution apparatus.
The “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign strongly condemns this new wave of repression and executions and calls on human rights organizations and international bodies to take serious action against these crimes.
This week, once again, we reaffirm our principled, legal, and ethical opposition to the death penalty. Our stance is based on established foundations of international law, states’ obligations to uphold human rights, and the necessity of preserving human dignity.
“The death penalty violates the right to life”—a fundamental right clearly stated in Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). No emergency, cultural, political, or security justification can legitimize such a punishment.
According to international legal standards, including interpretations by the United Nations Human Rights Committee, even in countries that have not abolished the death penalty, its use must be restricted to the most serious crimes and carried out with full respect for fair trial standards. However, under the authoritarian rule of Iran’s supreme leader, many defendants are tried without access to independent legal counsel, are coerced into confessions, and face opaque judicial proceedings—a clear example of “extrajudicial execution.”
Execution, particularly when used as a tool to suppress dissent, intimidate society, or maintain political control, is not only incompatible with the principle of proportionality between crime and punishment, but also constitutes a total violation of justice.
In light of these realities, we, the members of this campaign, express our deep concern over the ongoing and increasing issuance of unjust death sentences in Iran. We call for the immediate halt to both the issuance and enforcement of these sentences and urge all awakened consciences to take action in any way they can to oppose them and join the “No to Execution” campaign.
We believe that defending the right to life is a collective and transnational responsibility. Until the noose of execution is removed from Iran’s judicial system, the foundation for freedom and justice will not be established, and many crimes will not cease.
