The 63rd “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign was held on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, in 38 prisons across Iran. As in the past, the striking prisoners are on a hunger strike to protest the widespread executions in Iranian prisons.
In their statement for the 63rd week of the campaign, the striking prisoners addressed the significant increase in the issuance and implementation of death sentences following the end of the Nowruz holidays, the adoption of a resolution condemning widespread human rights violations in Iran by the United Nations Human Rights Council, and the extension of the mandates of the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Conditions in Iran and the “Independent Fact-Finding Mission” for another year.
The text of the statement by the prisoners participating in the 63rd week of the “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign is as follows:
Rejection of Pakhshan Azizi’s Retrial Request Again and the Charge of “Baghi” Against Karim Khojasteh
With the end of the Nowruz holidays, during which the number of executions had relatively decreased, we are once again witnessing a significant increase in the issuance and implementation of death sentences. In recent days, many prisoners have been transferred to quarantine for execution. For example, on Monday, at least 10 prisoners in Ghezel Hesar Prison were transferred to the “safe ward,” indicating the imminent possibility of their execution.
Alongside this escalation of repression, the United Nations Human Rights Council, at the conclusion of its 58th session in Geneva, adopted a resolution condemning the widespread human rights violations in Iran and extended the mandates of the “Special Rapporteur” and the “Independent Fact-Finding Mission” for another year.
According to this resolution, the scope of the Fact-Finding Mission’s mandate extends beyond the 2022 uprising, encompassing other crimes committed by the regime and the collection of evidence for the prosecution of officials.
Additionally, this week, the European Parliament passed a resolution condemning the widespread executions in Iran and the confirmation of death sentences for Mehdi Hassani and Behrouz Ehsani, once again calling for the release of all political and ideological prisoners and urging the European Union to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization.
Nevertheless, the Islamic Republic’s regime, indifferent to internal and international pressure and protests, continues its repression and issuance of death sentences. For example, the retrial request of Pakhshan Azizi, a Kurdish political prisoner, has been rejected by the Supreme Court for the second time, increasing the risk of her execution. Additionally, Karim Khojasteh, another political prisoner held in Lakan Prison in Rasht, has been charged with “Baghi” (armed rebellion against the state), which could potentially lead to a death sentence.
We, the members of the “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign, express our deep concern over the increasing threat of execution against political and ideological prisoners. We firmly condemn these sentences and warn against the expansion of executions of prisoners convicted of non-political crimes. We also express our gratitude for international support and call on the global community to condition any relations or transactions with the Islamic Republic on the complete abolition of the death penalty.