On Tuesday, December 30, 2025, political prisoners in 55 detention facilities across Iran launched a hunger strike marking the 101st consecutive week of the “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign. This milestone in the prisoner-led resistance coincides with significant unrest outside the prison walls, including strikes by merchants in the Tehran Bazaar and protests in dozens of cities nationwide.
The campaign issued a statement noting that the 101st week of resistance is taking place while “Tehran bazaar merchants have gone on strike and protested against the oppression of the government since Sunday.” The statement highlighted that these protests have expanded significantly, spreading to other cities, creating a dual front of resistance inside and outside the prisons.
In an effort to quell these rising popular uprisings, the regime has intensified its use of capital punishment. The campaign reported that since late December—corresponding to the beginning of the Persian month of Dey—authorities have executed more than 96 individuals, including a female prisoner in Mashhad’s Vakilabad Prison. Additionally, the judiciary recently issued death sentences for two Kurdish political prisoners: Mehrab Abdollahzadeh in Urmia Prison and Yunes Bakhshi in Mahabad Prison.
Marking Christmas, the participating prisoners extended their congratulations to the Christian community, drawing parallels between their struggle and the teachings of Jesus. “As Jesus Christ said: ‘Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul,'” the statement read. The prisoners expressed hope for freedom for all compatriots suffering under the “religious dictatorship.”
Beyond the prison walls, the campaign has evolved into a nationwide movement. In this 101st week, rallies were held in cities ranging from Karaj, Tabriz, and Rasht in the north to Shiraz, Ahvaz, and Bandar Abbas in the south. Demonstrators, including students, retirees, and the families of executed victims, chanted slogans targeting the regime’s judicial violence. Protesters were heard shouting, “Our shouts are stronger than your nooses,” “Answer to execution: The red fire of the uprising,” and “The executioner’s noose no longer affects another Damavand.”
The striking prisoners called on the public to increase their support to “blunt the blade of repression and execution.” The hunger strike this week spans 55 facilities, including Evin Prison (women’s and men’s wards), Ghezel Hesar Prison (Units 2, 3, and 4), Greater Tehran Prison, Karaj Central Prison, Urmia Prison, Tabriz Prison, Mashhad Prison, Zahedan Prison, and Ahvaz’s Sheiban and Sepidar prisons, among many others across the country.