On October 6, 2026, prisoners across 66 prisons in Iran went on hunger strike to mark the 141st consecutive week of the “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign. The organized protests have persisted for nearly three years despite escalating security pressures, threats, punitive measures, and restricted communication with the outside world.
Ahead of the World Day Against the Death Penalty, the participating prisoners issued a statement condemning the Iranian regime’s use of executions to maintain its grip on power. They described capital punishment in Iran as a “fundamental violation of the right to life and a prime example of state murder.”
“This punishment not only fails to restore any rights for victims, but in tyrannical regimes like Iran, it has turned into a tool to instill fear, silence protests, and suppress dissidents,” the prisoners wrote.
According to data compiled by the campaign, the regime executed at least 22 people in a single week between September 29 and October 5. Among those hanged were five detained protesters: Ali Hemmati and Majid Nik-Andish from Mashhad, Siavash Jamshidi Kheirabadi from Shahrekord, and Alireza Sepahi and Alireza Raeisi from Isfahan.
Simultaneously, the judiciary has continued to issue new death sentences against political prisoners. The campaign highlighted newly issued death sentences for Mohammad Amin Mandani, a detained protester in Greater Tehran Prison, as well as Sirvan Shabani, Mehdi Nami, Masoud Toushmalani, and Khosro Mohammadinia in Ghezel Hesar Prison.
“The execution of these individuals in conditions where protests and public dissatisfaction have expanded in society once again shows that the repressive apparatus of the Velayat-e Faqih attempts to create fear and terror and erect gallows to create a barrier against the uprisings and protests of the people,” the statement emphasized, adding that “execution cannot extinguish the anger and the people’s desire for freedom.”
The prisoners’ statement highlighted Iran’s status as the global record-holder for executions. Citing Amnesty International, the campaign noted that the regime executed at least 2,159 people in 2025.
The campaign also referenced the 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council, where 46 countries issued a joint statement condemning the regime’s surging use of the death penalty, particularly against protesters. Mai Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran, welcomed the statement and has recently highlighted the regime’s systemic use of forced confessions, torture, and the execution of individuals convicted as minors.
Warning against the regime’s attempts to militarize society and intimidate the public, the striking prisoners called on the Iranian people, justice-seeking families, human rights activists, and the international community to unite against the death penalty.
“Let us not allow the gallows to become a tool to silence the voice of society,” the prisoners stated.
The prisoners participating in the 141st week of the “No to Executions Tuesdays” hunger strike are located in 66 prisons.