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Iranwire – Political prisoners across Iran expanded their hunger strike against the death penalty to 44 facilities on Tuesday, as three more prisons joined the weekly protest movement.
The “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign entered its 69th consecutive week, with inmates in Mahabad, Boukan, and Yasuj joining participants, according to a statement from organizers.
“We invite all opponents of execution to stand alongside grieving families,” the prisoners wrote in their statement.
The protest spans facilities throughout the country, including Tehran’s Evin Prison, Qezelhesar, and dozens of provincial detention centers, where participating inmates refuse food each Tuesday.
Protesters described capital punishment as “inhumane” and called for public support for their movement.
The campaign, which began in February 2024, involves weekly hunger strikes by prisoners opposing executions in the Islamic Republic.
At least 58 prisoners were executed across Iran in March – an increase of 222 per cent compared to the 18 executions recorded in March 2023.
According to Mai Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, at least 169 people were executed in January and February alone.
During her first presentation to the UN Human Rights Council, Sato warned that if the current pace continues, Iran could execute more than 1,000 people this year.
“I am very concerned about the rapid rise in the number of executions, especially in just the last two months as well,” Sato told IranWire in an exclusive interview following her presentation.
“I believe, looking at last year’s patterns, January and February are usually quiet months, but we’ve already identified at least 169 executions,” she added.
