In a powerful display of solidarity and resistance, Iranian academics across the United Kingdom organized exhibitions during the week of August 21 to raise awareness about the ongoing wave of executions in Iran and to condemn the regime’s systematic use of capital punishment against political prisoners, women, and youth. The exhibitions, held in several British cities, drew widespread attention from students, human rights advocates, and members of the public, who signed petitions and made contributions aimed at saving lives.
The events were part of a broader international campaign calling for an end to executions in Iran, where the death penalty has long been used as a tool of repression against dissidents and ordinary citizens alike. Visitors to the exhibitions expressed their deep concern over reports of planned mass executions, particularly targeting women and young protesters arrested in the aftermath of demonstrations.
One of the organizers explained the urgency of the campaign: “Every signature we collect and every voice we raise is a lifeline for those who are silenced inside Iran’s prisons. Our responsibility is to amplify their cries for justice before it is too late.”
Many attendees were visibly moved by the images and testimonies displayed. Sarah Williams, a university student who signed the petition, said: “I didn’t realize how systematic and widespread these executions were until I came here. It’s heartbreaking, but also empowering to know that we can take action, even from abroad, to pressure our leaders and support the victims’ families.”
Contributions collected during the events were directed to initiatives supporting those at risk of being executed and raising global awareness of their plight.
The exhibitions also paid tribute to the memory of thousands of political prisoners who were executed during the summer of 1988, a dark chapter in Iran’s history that continues to haunt survivors and families of the victims. During that period, thousands of dissidents, many of them young students and activists, were subjected to summary trials and executed by hanging or firing squad. Their bodies were buried in unmarked mass graves, leaving families without closure.
Amnesty International recently renewed its condemnation of the Iranian authorities for what it described as ongoing efforts to erase evidence of these crimes against humanity. In particular, Amnesty highlighted credible reports that a parking lot has been constructed over parts of Behesht Zahra cemetery in Tehran, where many victims of the 1988 massacres are believed to be buried. By destroying or concealing these burial sites, Amnesty said, the authorities are attempting to obliterate crucial evidence of atrocities that could one day be used in future prosecutions of perpetrators.
“The systematic obliteration of mass graves is not only an assault on truth and justice but also a cruel act of torment against the families, who for decades have sought to mourn their loved ones and to know their final resting places,” Amnesty stated.
One visitor to the exhibition in London reflected on this tragic continuity: “It feels like history is being erased before our eyes. If the world ignores what happened in 1988, then the regime will feel emboldened to continue its crimes today.”
For the Iranian diaspora in the UK and beyond, the exhibitions served as both a reminder and a call to action. The organizers emphasized that international solidarity is essential to save lives today, just as accountability for past crimes is necessary to prevent their repetition. “We are not only remembering the victims of the past, we are fighting for the lives of those in danger right now,” one academic organizer stressed.
The week of action concluded with a renewed demand: that the international community must not turn a blind eye to the plight of Iranian prisoners facing execution today, nor to the silenced victims of yesterday. Both, they stressed, are part of the same struggle for truth, justice, and freedom in Iran.