On August 11, 2026, prisoners in 59 facilities across Iran held hunger strikes to mark the 133rd week of the “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign. The strikes, which originated among death row inmates in the notorious Ghezel Hesar prison, have expanded significantly. This resistance continues from within the prison walls despite the regime’s violent crackdown following the massive nationwide uprisings of December 2025 to January 2026, and the subsequent installation of Mojtaba Khamenei in March.
In their weekly statement, the striking prisoners highlighted a surge in state-sanctioned killings. Since the beginning of the Persian calendar year 1405 (starting March 21, 2026), the regime has executed at least 342 prisoners. This figure includes 10 women, two individuals who were minors at the time of their alleged offenses, and 37 political prisoners. The statement noted that authorities recently sentenced two detainees from the January protests in Shiraz, Mojtaba Dehbandi and Kianoush Hamzei, to death following judicial proceedings that were “unfair and non-transparent.” The prisoners wrote that the ruling dictatorship intends to “create a climate of fear and terror in society in order to stifle any dissenting voice.”
Prison authorities and the judiciary have retaliated against the striking inmates and civil activists. Participating prisoners have been transferred to solitary confinement or targeted with newly fabricated legal cases. Furthermore, authorities have opened heavy “group cases” against citizens related to protests at Alikhani Square and Shohada Square in Isfahan, as well as in Shandiz and Esfarayen, resulting in additional death sentences and prolonged imprisonment. However, the prisoners stated that “these tactics multiply the society’s anger.”
Expressing gratitude to artists, social groups, and the families of executed victims for their support, the campaign members called on the Iranian public to take action. They urged citizens to protest “like the retirees in their rallies against the unbridled executions” and to declare “unsparing support for the ‘No to Executions’ movement and the ‘No to Executions Tuesdays’ campaign.” The 59 participating prisons include Evin, Ghezel Hesar (Units 2, 3, and 4), Karaj Central, Greater Tehran, and numerous regional facilities spanning from Ahvaz and Zahedan to Mashhad, Sanandaj, and Tabriz.