The “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign, a defiant movement by prisoners across Iran, is set to mark its 73rd consecutive week on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, with inmates in 47 different prisons planning hunger strikes. This sustained protest, ongoing since January 2024, comes amidst a deeply alarming surge in the Iranian regime’s use of capital punishment, underscoring a brutal crackdown on its citizens.
Alarming execution statistics paint grim picture
The regime’s killing machine shows no signs of slowing. According to the campaign’s latest statement, at least 126 individuals have been executed since the beginning of Khordad (staring on May 21, 2025). In a particularly grim illustration of this trend, 12 prisoners were sent to the gallows on a single day, June 10, 2025. The statement from the protesting prisoners emphasizes the human tragedy behind these figures: “This shocking statistic of executions is not just a number; it is the bitter story of lives taken unjustly.”
Recent cases exemplify regime’s ruthlessness
Recent cases further highlight the regime’s relentless application of death sentences. On Monday, June 16, 2025, security prisoner Esmail Fekri was hanged in Ghezel Hesar prison on charges of espionage. His execution, as noted in the statement, was carried out “in complete secrecy.” The statement also mourns the recent execution of political prisoner Mojahed Kourkour. Arrested during the 1401 (2022-2023) nationwide uprising, Kourkour endured approximately two and a half years of imprisonment and alleged torture before he was “unjustly hanged last week.”
Executions shrouded in secrecy and injustice
The statement from the “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign sheds critical light on the opaque and unjust nature of these state-sanctioned killings. “Most of these executions occur without transparent reporting, without a fair judicial process, and in media silence,” it reveals. The victims, the statement points out, often come from the most vulnerable segments of society, including “the deprived, followers of other religions and faiths, and political prisoners; people whose only sin was demanding justice, freedom, or trying to survive.”
Prisoners’ unwavering resolve in the face of death
In the face of this onslaught, the prisoners participating in the campaign remain resolute. Their 73rd weekly statement reiterates their unequivocal condemnation of capital punishment: “Execution is not punishment; execution is a crime, and we strongly condemn all death sentences, regardless of the charge, and we will stand against it. These executions are government murder.” Their defiance is coupled with a solemn vow: “We will never forget the victims, we will not be silent, and we will not step aside.”
The “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign itself is a testament to this enduring spirit of resistance. Initiated in January 2024, it has consistently grown, with detainees in an increasing number of prisons organizing these weekly acts of defiance. Their sustained protest directly challenges the Iranian regime’s systematic use of executions against political prisoners and other detainees, serving as a powerful voice from behind prison walls.
As the Iranian regime intensifies its reliance on capital punishment as a tool of oppression, the unwavering courage of prisoners participating in the “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign highlights a critical front in the fight for human rights in Iran. Their actions, week after week, send a clear message that even in the darkest dungeons, the demand for life and justice cannot be extinguished. The campaign’s persistence in the face of such dire statistics underscores the urgent need for international attention and action to halt the Iranian regime’s execution machine.