Simultaneously with the intensification of the crackdown on protests, internet shutdowns, and an increase in arrests, the nationwide “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign has entered a new phase of expansion and social impact in its 104th week. This campaign, which has been carried out regularly and weekly for nearly two years, has now, through a clear connection with street protests, become one of the prominent symbols of public opposition to the death penalty. Due to the internet shutdown, the No to Executions Tuesdays campaign has been unable to issue its weekly statement, but prisoners’ hunger strikes continue in 56 prisons across the country.
The continuation of the “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign under internet shutdowns
According to field reports, the “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign has continued alongside the suppression of protests and widespread internet shutdowns. Severe communication restrictions have not been able to prevent the continuation of this protest movement, and the cry of “No to executions” is still being heard from inside prisons and across society.
Human rights activists say the internet shutdown was carried out to prevent coverage of the crackdown and to silence the voice of protest, but the experience of recent weeks has shown that this policy has failed to sever the connection between prisons and the streets.
The clear link between the campaign and street protests
In recent weeks, the nationwide “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign, through its clear linkage with street protests, has become one of the prominent symbols of public opposition to the death penalty. Protesters in the streets have raised their demands in line with the same call represented by this campaign: opposition to executions and protest against policies that target human lives.
The suppression of protests and mass arrests of protesters
At the same time as this linkage has expanded, the crackdown on protests has intensified. Reports indicate widespread arrests of protesters in various cities. Tens of thousands of people have been arrested during the protests, and many of them remain in detention.
Human rights sources have stated that some of those arrested during the protests are facing serious charges, and a number of them are under death sentences. This situation has heightened serious concerns about a new wave of executions.
The intensification of death sentences as a tool of political repression
The increased pace of issuing and carrying out death sentences has paved the way for the expansion of the link between street protests and the “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign.
Prisoners’ resistance against the threat of execution
While some of those arrested during the protests are under death sentences, prisoners continue to participate in the “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign. Reports show that despite security pressure, severe restrictions, and repeated threats, this protest movement has not stopped inside prisons.
Concern over a new wave of executions
As the crackdown on protests and the arrest of protesters intensifies, concerns about a new wave of executions have grown. Human rights activists have warned that the use of the death penalty against those arrested in the protests could lead to a judicial massacre.
They stress that any delay in domestic and international response places the lives of dozens of people at immediate risk.
“No to executions” as a national demand
The “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign has now shown that opposition to the death penalty is no longer limited to prisons or human rights activists, but has become a public demand at the heart of the protests.
The continuation of this protest movement indicates that society, even under conditions of internet shutdowns and severe repression, has not retreated from its demand for the abolition of the death penalty.
