FILE PHOTO: A prisoner walks down a prison corridor

In a bold act of defiance against the Iranian regime’s escalating use of capital punishment, political prisoners across Iran have initiated a coordinated hunger strike spanning 35 prisons. This mass protest marks the 55th consecutive week of the “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign, which seeks to challenge the government’s reliance on executions to maintain control.

According to a statement released by the campaign, at least 1,021 people have been executed in Iran over the past year. The campaign has also drawn attention to two newly issued political death sentences and the imminent execution of Kurdish political prisoner Pakhshan Azizi. The movement has vowed to resist these state-sanctioned killings and has called for urgent global intervention.

The Iranian regime, increasingly isolated on both domestic and international fronts, has intensified its use of executions as a means of political suppression. The campaign’s statement highlights the case of Pezhman Soltani, a Kurdish political prisoner sentenced to death in what has been described as a sham trial by Branch 1 of the Criminal Court of Urmia. His conviction stems from allegations of killing a Basij paramilitary member during the 2022 nationwide protests.

Similarly, Pakhshan Azizi, whose death sentence was recently upheld by Iran’s Supreme Court, has been denied the right to appeal, leaving her execution imminent. In response, both Amnesty International and UN Special Rapporteur Mai Sato have condemned these sentences, urging immediate action to halt them. The campaign has warned that if Azizi is transferred for execution, immediate countermeasures will be enacted. They have called on the Iranian public and human rights organizations to take urgent steps to prevent further state-sanctioned killings.

Political prisoners within Evin Prison’s women’s ward and Ward 8 have been denied visitation rights for protesting recent execution orders. In addition, two other political detainees, Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani, have been forcibly transferred, fueling further outrage. The hunger strike, set to begin on Tuesday, February 13, 2025, will include prisoners from facilities such as Evin, Ghezel Hesar, Karaj Central, Greater Tehran, and numerous other prisons across the country.

The “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign has issued a stark warning to the international community, emphasizing that Iran’s execution practices are not a form of justice but rather an instrument of state terror. The movement urges civil society organizations, human rights groups, and global institutions to intervene immediately.

“This time, we must not grieve another lost life; we must resist before the crime occurs,” the campaign’s statement declared, underscoring the urgency of their mission. As the hunger strike unfolds, the Iranian regime faces mounting pressure from both domestic and international forces, further exposing its reliance on executions as a tool of oppression.

MEK Iran (follow us on Twitter and Facebook), Maryam Rajavi’s on her site, Twitter & Facebook, NCRI  (Twitter & Facebook), and People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran – MEK IRAN – YouTu