Civil Activists Gathered in Front of Evin Prison to Demand Abolishment of Death Sentences in Iran

A number of civil and human rights activists in Iran gathered in front of Evin Prison in Tehran to protest against the issuance of death sentences in the country. Narges Mohammadi, the winner of the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize, renowned filmmaker Jafar Panahi, and the family of Vrisheh Moradi, an Iranian Kurdish woman who recently received a death sentence, participated in this gathering. Ms. Mohammadi, who has spent many years in prison, was recently granted leave from Evin Prison for medical treatment. Jafar Panahi, who was arrested during the 2009 protests and sentenced to six years in prison, was released in the summer of 2022 after serving part of his sentence, but his prison sentence remains in effect. According to the Instagram accounts of Ms. Mohammadi and Mr. Panahi, the gathering of civil activists took place on Tuesday, February 23, in front of the visiting hall of Evin Prison. Arash Sadeghi and Hossein Razag, former political prisoners, also attended this gathering. They held placards calling for the unity of the Iranian people and intensified protests aimed at pressuring the Islamic Republic to abolish the death penalty. Ms. Mohammadi mentioned in her Instagram that during the protests inside the prisons against the increasing death sentences, they would shout 'no to execution' and hold the hands of fellow inmates sentenced to death while singing songs of freedom. Hundreds of prisoners in Evin and over 30 other prisons across Iran have been on hunger strike since February 2024 in a campaign dubbed 'Tuesdays No to Execution' to protest the continuation of executions in the country. On February 4, Ms. Mohammadi, using her medical leave, participated in a virtual discussion with a delegation of women's rights advocates in the French Senate, expressing deep concern over the recent issuance of death sentences, including for Pakhshan Azizi and Vrisheh Moradi, two young Iranian Kurdish women. According to Ms. Mohammadi, the Islamic Republic seeks to take 'revenge' for the protests that erupted after the death of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini in the custody of the morality police in 2022, which sparked the largest anti-government protests in recent years. The family of Vrisheh Moradi, who participated in the protest on February 23 in front of Evin Prison, traveled from their home in Kurdistan to Tehran. The Islamic Republic has accused Ms. Moradi of being a member of 'armed groups.' Ms. Mohammadi reported that Ms. Moradi's family 'spent the entire night traveling to reach Tehran, and her sister left her child behind, but Evin officials did not allow this family to meet with Vrisheh Moradi.' Human rights organizations, including HRANA and Hengaw, also reported this week that Pejman Soltani, another detainee from the anti-government protests, has been sentenced to death after approximately one year and nine months of detention. According to human rights organizations, the Islamic Republic executed over a thousand prisoners in 2024, at least 33 of whom were women. In the month of February this year, with a week still remaining, at least 30 individuals, including one woman, have been executed.