On Tuesday, November 3, 2026, the “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign entered its 145th consecutive week, with inmates across 66 prisons in Iran launching simultaneous hunger strikes. The widespread protest comes as political prisoners continue to push back against the regime’s systematic use of the death penalty, demonstrating a highly organized resistance despite facing severe retaliation and isolation tactics from prison authorities.
The continuity of the hunger strikes highlights the resilience of the political prisoners leading the movement. In recent weeks, participating inmates have been subjected to escalating security pressures, direct threats, strict limitations on their communication with the outside world, and various punitive measures. Despite these crackdowns, the campaign has not only sustained its momentum over nearly three years but continues to expand its footprint inside Iran’s prison system.
As the “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign solidifies its position as one of the most enduring protests against capital punishment in Iran, it is garnering unprecedented international backing. The prisoners’ latest statement highlighted the addition of prominent international figures to their cause, signaling increased global attention on the regime’s human rights abuses.
Recent endorsements include Andrea Bolaños Vargas, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders, and Ana Lorena Delgadillo, a member of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances. They join other international figures who previously backed the campaign, including UN Special Rapporteur Gina Romero and Leopoldo Maldonado.
Furthermore, the surging execution rates have drawn formal condemnations from Alexis Anagnostakis, President of the Human Rights Committee of the European Criminal Bar Association (ECBA), and the human rights office of the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“The declaration of solidarity and the joining of two United Nations rapporteurs… as well as the condemnation of the escalating executions by Alexis Anagnostakis… and the human rights office of the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, indicate the growing global disgust with the death penalty in Iran,” the striking prisoners wrote in their statement. “The era of medieval punishments is over, and the international community, united with the Iranian people, demands the right to life, freedom, and human dignity.”
Despite the growing domestic and international outrage, the Iranian regime’s judiciary continues to weaponize executions to maintain a climate of fear. During just the first six days of the Persian month of Aban (October 23 to October 28, 2026), authorities executed at least 25 prisoners. Of those, 22 were hanged in a brutal 48-hour span between October 27 and 28 alone.
The judiciary is also continuing to issue death sentences against political dissidents. Shahab Zohdi, a detainee from the nationwide uprisings of December 2025–January 2026, was recently sentenced to death by Abolqasem Salavati—a judge notorious for issuing capital punishments—after his previous sentence was overturned by the Supreme Court. On October 24, 2026, Emran Amani, a 21-year-old from Gonbad Kavous, was sentenced to death on charges of Moharebeh (enmity against God). Several other political prisoners, including Amin Pardal, Arman Marefati, Shayan Shakibai, and Matin Farnian, have also been handed death sentences, alongside many unnamed individuals on death row.
Standing as the voice for the countless unnamed victims of the regime’s judiciary, the prisoners participating in the campaign urged the public to centralize the fight against capital punishment.
“We are the voice for all of them, because without defending the right to life, defending other human rights is meaningless,” the prisoners emphasized. “’No to Executions’ must be placed at the forefront of every demand, slogan, and protest movement, and our hopeful eyes are on the courageous people of Iran.”
Refusing to be intimidated by the looming threat of the gallows, the statement concluded with a defiant message to the regime: “We, the prisoners participating in the ‘No to Executions Tuesdays’ campaign, declare that neither threats nor death sentences will silence the voice of protest against this inhumane punishment. We demand the immediate abolition of death sentences and the complete halt of the killing machine in Iran.”