On January 21, 2025, Iran Human Rights Monitor commemorated the first anniversary of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” hunger strikes with an online conference highlighting Iran’s escalating execution crisis and the defiance of political prisoners. The event called on Western nations, particularly in Europe, to condition their relations with Iran on measurable human rights improvements, including halting executions and freeing political prisoners.
Distinguished speakers included Herta Daubler-Gmelin, former German Minister of Justice; Ingrid Betancourt, former Colombian senator and presidential candidate; Tahar Boumedra, President of “Justice for the Victims of the 1988 Massacre in Iran” (JVMI); and Elisabetta Zamparutti, member of the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture.
The conference underscored how Iran’s theocratic regime employs executions as a strategic tool to suppress dissent and consolidate power. In 2024, Iran executed a staggering 993 individuals, including 32 women and six juveniles, marking the highest rate in three decades under President Masoud Pezeshkian’s leadership. Speakers decried the regime’s use of capital punishment as a response to growing public discontent.
Daubler-Gmelin condemned the recent confirmation of death sentences for political prisoners Mehdi Hassani and Behrouz Ehsani, members of the (PMOI). She demanded their immediate release, stating, “These prisoners embody the spirit of the ‘No to Executions Tuesdays’ campaign.”
Tahar Boumedra emphasized the legal violations inherent in Iran’s execution spree, pointing to international treaties like the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which Iran has ratified. He called the regime’s actions potential crimes against humanity and urged accountability for Iranian officials in international courts.
Zamparutti labeled the mass executions a “pillar of the regime’s survival strategy” and joined the hunger strike in solidarity with Iran’s death row prisoners. “To live on death row in Iran is to endure the darkest place imaginable,” she said.
Ingrid Betancourt paid tribute to Saeed Masouri, one of Iran’s longest-imprisoned political detainees, referencing his poignant open letter shared during the event. She remarked, “The regime’s reliance on executions reflects its fear and failure. A government that murders and imprisons its people en masse has no legitimacy.” Betancourt called for a unified international response, asserting, “This regime must be stopped—it thrives on fear, corruption, and crime, leaving no room for compromise or negotiation.”
Speakers highlighted Iran’s grim history of political executions, including the 1988 massacre of 30,000 political prisoners, predominantly PMOI supporters. Since its launch in January 2024 by death row prisoners in Qezel-Hesar Prison, the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign has grown to over 34 prisons, with prisoners staging weekly hunger strikes to protest their conditions.
On December 10, 2024, Human Rights Day, over 3,000 world leaders, MPs, and activists issued a joint declaration supporting the campaign. The conference concluded by urging Western governments to condition diplomatic ties with Iran on the cessation of executions and the release of political prisoners, amplifying global calls for justice and accountability.
As the campaign gains momentum, it remains a powerful symbol of resilience and a rallying cry for human rights advocates worldwide to demand systemic change in Iran.