As Iran faces a surge in executions and increasing repression of peaceful prison protests, 68 human rights organizations, led by Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO), have united to express their support for the “No Death Penalty Tuesdays” movement. This weekly hunger strike, which has spread across 17 prisons in Iran, marks its 31st week, highlighting a growing demand for the abolition of the death penalty in the country.
In a joint statement released on August 27, 2024, a day after Iran’s first public hanging of the year, the organizations called for an immediate halt to all executions and urged the international community to support the abolitionist movement in Iran. The statement emphasized the alarming frequency of executions in the country, noting that one person was executed every six hours in the first 20 days of August 2024. With 395 executions recorded by August 26, 2024, Iran’s use of the death penalty has drawn widespread condemnation for its role as a tool of political repression. The statement highlighted the unlawful application of the death penalty for drug-related crimes and its disproportionate impact on marginalized groups, particularly ethnic minorities such as the Kurdish and Baluch populations, which has recently come under scrutiny by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of IHRNGO, commended the resilience of prisoners involved in the movement, stating, “The resilience of prisoners fighting against the death penalty in Iran has impressed and inspired the abolitionist movement worldwide. Our message to these courageous individuals is that we have heard your voices and will stand with you until this inhumane punishment is abolished.”
The “No Death Penalty Tuesdays” movement began on January 30, 2024, under the name “Black Tuesdays,” initiated by 10 political prisoners in Karaj’s Ghezelhesar Prison. The movement emerged in response to the execution of several political prisoners and the ongoing weekly group executions at the prison. In an open letter, the prisoners explained their decision to launch the hunger strike, stating that Tuesdays were often the last day their cellmates were alive before being transferred to solitary confinement in preparation for execution. They called for solidarity in defending all prisoners sentenced to death, regardless of their charges, as they believed they had all been unfairly tried.
The movement soon gained traction, with Nobel Peace Laureate Narges Mohammadi announcing that the female ward at Evin Prison, the largest facility for political prisoners in Iran, would join the weekly hunger strike. On July 24, 2024, 60 prisoners at Evin Prison staged an overnight sit-in to protest the death sentence of Kurdish civil rights activist Pakhshan Azizi. In response, 37 participants were denied visitation rights. The protests continued, with another sit-in on August 6, 2024, to oppose the execution of Kurdish protester Reza Rasaei and demand the abolition of capital punishment. Reports indicate that prison guards violently dispersed the peaceful protest, resulting in injuries to several prisoners, including Narges Mohammadi, who suffered a severe respiratory attack.
Amidst these events, international attention has focused on the plight of prisoners like Ahmadreza Djalali, a Swedish-Iranian expert on disaster medicine who began a hunger strike on June 26, 2024. Detained since 2016, Djalali’s health has deteriorated due to previous hunger strikes, but he sees no other option to make his voice heard. Amnesty International has warned that he remains at grave risk of execution.
As the “No Death Penalty Tuesdays” movement enters its 31st week, the global community continues to watch closely, hoping that the collective efforts of human rights organizations and the courage of Iranian prisoners will bring about meaningful change in Iran’s use of the death penalty.