On Tuesday, August 18, 2026, political prisoners across 60 prisons in Iran went on a hunger strike to mark the 134th week of the “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign. The campaign, which is now in its third year, continues despite executions and repressive measures by the regime. According to the participating prisoners, the campaign has expanded geographically and socially, becoming one of the most sustained organized protests against the death penalty in Iran.
The prisoners’ latest statement highlighted the regime’s use of capital punishment to suppress dissent following the nationwide uprisings of December 2025 and January 2026. The statement noted the recent hanging of Shahram Sadeghi, a political prisoner from the winter protests, in Karaj, as well as the execution of Mohammad (Cherag) Afroukhteh in Zahedan. With these recent hangings, the number of political prisoners executed since the beginning of the Persian calendar year (March 2026) has reached at least 39.
“The Velayat-e Faqih regime, despite widespread protests, has never stopped executions; because it sees its survival dependent on suppression and execution,” the prisoners wrote in their statement, warning that the current statistics sound a serious alarm for other inmates on death row.
The 1988 massacre and calls for accountability
In their statement, the participating prisoners drew a direct connection between the current wave of executions and the regime’s historical atrocities, specifically the summer 1988 massacre, where around 30,000 political prisoners were systematically executed. Pointing to the findings of former UN Special Rapporteur Javaid Rehman, the prisoners emphasized that the pursuit of justice is not subject to the statute of limitations.
“On the anniversary of the massacre of political prisoners in the summer of 1988—which was recognized by Mr. Javaid Rehman, the former UN Special Rapporteur on human rights, as an ‘atrocity crime’—we commemorate the memory of all those who lost their lives for freedom and equality, and we hope that soon the perpetrators and masterminds of this anti-human tragedy will face the court of justice,” the statement read.
Demanding concrete international action
Acknowledging a recent joint statement by 32 countries calling for an immediate halt to executions in Iran, the prisoners demanded that the international community move beyond verbal condemnations and utilize diplomatic and economic leverage against the regime.
“We, the members of the ‘No to Executions Tuesdays’ campaign, call on all these countries to condition all their diplomatic and trade relations with the Iranian government on the complete halt of executions to effectively stop the execution machine,” the prisoners stated. They also urged “all awakened consciences” globally to amplify the voices of Iranian inmates facing the death penalty.
Despite facing security pressures, threats, communication restrictions, and punitive measures, the campaign continues to grow. This week, a group of prisoners in Gachsaran Prison issued a statement officially joining the initiative, bringing the total number of participating facilities to 60.