The “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign, which consists of hunger-striking prisoners from over 22 prisons across Iran, issued a statement on October 15 during its 38th week. The statement said, “Simultaneously with the World Day Against the Death Penalty, the execution-driven regime in Iran executed seven individuals in various prisons.”
According to the campaign’s statement, on October 9 alone, 19 people were hanged, bringing the total number of executions last week to over 36.
Two children, identified as Mehdi Barahouyi and Ali Shirvani, who were 17 and 15 years old at the time of their arrest, were among those executed, in clear violation of the “Convention on the Rights of the Child.”
The statement further revealed that on October 13, the Iranian judiciary referred the cases of eight individuals accused of theft to the court, requesting the punishment of hand amputation.
This level of violence coincided with the World Day Against the Death Penalty and is a clear indication of the Iranian regime’s blatant violation of international human rights laws, aimed at instilling fear and suppressing potential protests and uprisings.
The statement also praised Ms. Mai Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, for reflecting the warnings of the protesting prisoners involved in the “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign in her recent remarks.
However, the statement emphasized that they expect more urgent and serious action from Ms. Mai Sato, the Human Rights Council, and all international human rights organizations to stop this killing machine, stressing that the lives of many vulnerable prisoners depend on such effective measures.
The prisoners who are protesting executions as part of this campaign have called on the public and media to advocate for the abolition of the death penalty. Their goal is to institutionalize the fight against executions and create “a free, equal, and peaceful country, free from violence and executions, with an independent judiciary.”
On October 15, as a form of protest, a hunger strike was held by members of this campaign in the following prisons: Evin Prison (women’s ward, wards 4 and 8), Ghezel Hesar Prison (units 3 and 4), Karaj Central Prison, Greater Tehran Prison, Khorramabad Prison, Arak Prison, Isfahan’s Asadabad Prison, Nezam Prison in Shiraz, Bam Prison, Mashhad Prison, Lakan Prison in Rasht (both men’s and women’s wards), Qaemshahr Prison, Ardabil Prison, Tabriz Prison, Urmia Prison, Salmas Prison, Khoy Prison, Naqadeh Prison, Saqqez Prison, Baneh Prison, Marivan Prison, and Kamyaran Prison.
