Warning from the 'No to Executions Tuesdays' Campaign about a New Wave of Executions: 17 Executions in Two Days

The 'No to Executions Tuesdays' campaign announced in its fifty-seventh statement on Tuesday, March 7, that the Islamic Republic government has initiated a new wave of executions following the end of government ceremonies in Bahman. In this statement, a copy of which was obtained by Voice of America, it is mentioned that only in the first two days of Esfand, 17 prisoners were executed in the country, of which 10 were hanged in Qazalhasar prison in Karaj. At the same time, the Supreme Court on Sunday, March 5, rejected the request for retrial of Mehdi Hasani and Behrouz Ehsani, two political prisoners sentenced to death. Activists say the imminent danger of execution for them and other political prisoners, including Pakhshan Azizi, Varisheh Moradi, and Sharifeh Mohammadi, has increased. In addition to the executions, concerns about the dire health and medical conditions in prisons have grown. Last week, three prisoners in Urmia, Lajevardi in Iranshahr, and Dehdasht lost their lives due to lack of medical care. Human rights activists have described this trend as a case of 'systematic murder' of sick prisoners. The 'No to Executions Tuesdays' campaign has expressed concern over the appointment of Jafar Montazeri, the former Attorney General, as the head of the Supreme Court, warning that this change could lead to the 'channeling of prisoners' cases' and the rapid approval of Revolutionary Court verdicts. Activists believe this appointment emphasizes the ineffectiveness of the judicial system in ensuring fair trials. Members of this campaign, while defending the right to seek justice and protesting human rights violations, have called for the immediate release of human rights defenders and plaintiffs. Among them, the name Nahid Shirpish, a teacher and mother of Pouya Bakhtiari, who lost his life during the November 98 protests, stands out. She reportedly committed suicide last week due to psychological pressure in prison. In this context, a group of prisoners in Qazvin prison announced in a statement that they would join the 'No to Executions Tuesdays' campaign in protest against what they call 'unjust death sentences' and will continue their hunger strike until the machine of repression and executions stops. This campaign condemns all death sentences, regardless of the charges, and invites human rights defenders, civil, political, and labor activists in Iran and around the world to join efforts to abolish the death penalty. The 37 prisons participating in the hunger strike on Tuesday, March 7, include: Evin Prison, Qazalhasar Prison, Central Prison of Karaj, Greater Tehran Prison, Khorin Prison in Varamin, Arak Prison, Khorramabad Prison, Asadabad Prison in Isfahan, Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan, Shayban Prison in Ahvaz, Sepidar Prison in Ahvaz, Nazem Prison in Shiraz, Adelabad Prison in Shiraz, Borazjan Prison, Ramhormoz Prison, Bam Prison, Kahnouj Prison, Tabas Prison, Jovin Prison, Mashhad Prison, Gonbad Kavous Prison, Qaemshahr Prison, Rasht Prison, Rudsar Prison, Hovigh Talesh Prison, Dieselabad Prison in Kermanshah, Ardabil Prison, Tabriz Prison, Urmia Prison, Salmas Prison, Khoy Prison, Naqdeh Prison, Saqez Prison, Baneh Prison, Marivan Prison, Kamyaran Prison, and Choubinder Prison in Qazvin. This campaign has emphasized that it will continue its protest activities until the complete cessation of executions in Iran and has warned the international community that the right to life of prisoners should not be a plaything of political repression. A group of civil activists gathered in front of Evin Prison in support of 'No to Executions Tuesdays'. The execution of Ebrahim Khosheh and five others related to murder and drugs has led France to call for a halt to executions in Iran. A symbolic burning of a noose took place at the protest gathering of civil activists in front of Evin.