Hunger Strike in 11 Prisons in Iran; Members of the 'Black Tuesdays' Campaign: No to Execution Should Become a National Demand

In the twenty-fifth week of a collective hunger strike by political prisoners protesting against death sentences, known as 'Black Tuesdays No to Execution,' political prisoners in Ardabil and Qaemshahr joined this campaign. According to a statement from the No to Execution campaign, a copy of which was provided to VOA, on Tuesday, July 16, protesting prisoners in 11 prisons in Iran went on hunger strike 'to counter the death penalty and draw domestic and international public attention to the issue of the inhumane punishment of execution.' While the collective hunger strike by political prisoners against the issuance and implementation of death sentences has been ongoing for 25 weeks, the Islamic Republic executed prisoners on various charges last week. Among them, the Iran Human Rights Organization reported that Ali Izati, a 45-year-old farmer, was executed in Zanjan Central Prison. Additionally, judicial authorities executed 41-year-old Mostafa Hosseini and 38-year-old Hatam Shahidi in Golestan Central Prison, and 28-year-old Mojtaba Karami was executed in Shiraz Central Prison. These executions were related to drug-related charges. Members of this campaign declared that 'Black Tuesdays No to Execution continues with strength,' calling for both political and non-political prisoners in prisons across the country to join this human rights initiative and demanded that 'the demand for No to Execution becomes a national demand.' The 'Black Tuesdays' campaign, initiated by a number of political prisoners from Qezel Hesar Prison, has received support from civil and political activists in other prisons, and currently, a number of prisoners from 11 prisons across the country, including Qezel Hesar in units three and four, Evin in wards four, six, eight, and the women's ward, Karaj Central Prison, Khorramabad, Tabriz, Ardabil, Qaemshahr, Khoy, Naqdeh, Mashhad, and Saqez have joined this campaign. In recent weeks, members of the 'Black Tuesdays' campaign have warned about Ali Khamenei's statements regarding the necessity of ignoring human rights principles, considering these remarks by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic as a precursor and a 'serious alarm' regarding the expansion of human rights violations by the Islamic Republic. The spokesperson for the U.S. State Department recently urged more countries worldwide to protest against the Iranian government for suppressing the Iranian people, emphasizing that silence in the face of the suppression of the Iranian people is unacceptable. In response to the death sentence for Sharifeh Mohammadi, Gohar Eshghi asked: 'What is her crime? Being a worker?' The wife of Ahmadreza Jalali, a dual-national prisoner sentenced to death in Iran, stated: 'It has been 3,000 days since he was taken hostage.' The judiciary denied the breaking of the 'death sentence' for the accused in the case of 'rape of women in Mehrgan Park.' Exclusively, political prisoners in Qezel Hesar responded to the 'threatening atmosphere' of the special guard with the slogan 'Death to the Dictator.' Two human rights organizations condemned the death sentence for Sharifeh Mohammadi and called for international community intervention.