On Tuesday, August 26, prisoners in 50 prisons across the country went on hunger strike as part of the “No To Execution Tuesdays” campaign, protesting against the widespread executions in Iran.
This week, with the prisoners of Dehdasht joining the “No To Execution Tuesdays” campaign, the number of participating prisons increased to 50.
Political prisoners participating in this campaign called on all international institutions and human rights activists to echo the Iranian people’s protest against executions.
The full statement of the prisoners participating this week is as follows:
In Iran under the rule of the Supreme Leader, the execution machine continues to ruthlessly claim victims. Between July 23 and August 22 alone, 166 people were hanged; and in the past week, 31 of our compatriots, including one woman, were executed. Two of the victims were publicly hanged in Kordkuy and Beyrom in Larestan. The execution-driven government seeks to humiliate and normalize violence, plunging society into fear.
According to reports, a group of prisoners in Dehdasht prison joined the “No To Execution Tuesdays” campaign in its 83rd week. The addition of Dehdasht prison to the campaign list is a bitter reminder that no corner of Iran is safe from the shadow of execution.
At the same time, we are confronted with another shocking piece of news: the transformation of Section 41 of Behesht Zahra Cemetery (a section that reminds us of the thousands of political prisoners of the 1980s and the unforgettable crimes of those years) into a parking lot. This action is not only a disgraceful attempt to erase collective memory and the traces of regime crimes but also an overt insult to the victims and their families, an act condemned by Amnesty International as well.
The “No To Execution Tuesdays” campaign once again cries out:
Execution is not a solution.
Execution is a blatant violation of the right to life.
Execution is a tool for creating terror and consolidating political repression.
This campaign calls on all international institutions, human rights activists, and all awakened consciences to stand against this cycle of death and to reflect the Iranian people’s protest against executions.
On its 83rd week, the “No To Execution Tuesdays” campaign continues on Tuesday, August 26, with prisoners in 50 prisons across the country on hunger strike.
