Iran’s ‘No to Execution’ Campaign Marks 79th Week Despite Political Executions

Wave of Executions, Attacks on Political Prisoners Mark the 79th Week of “No to Execution Tuesdays”

Staff WriterJuly 29, 2025
Iran’s ‘No to Execution’ Campaign Marks 79th Week Despite Political Executions
A blindfolded man is led to the gallows by masked agents of the clerical dictatorship in Iran during a public execution

A blindfolded man is led to the gallows by masked agents of the clerical dictatorship in Iran during a public execution
Written by
Safora Sadidi Mohammadi

In a dramatic and brutal escalation, Iranian regime authorities executed two prominent members of Iran’s “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign, political prisoners Behrouz Ehsani and Mehdi Hassani, on Sunday, July 27. The executions were carried out in secret, without prior notice or the opportunity for a final visit with their families—further violating fundamental human rights and legal norms. Both men were active participants in the campaign opposing the death penalty in Iran.

“Despite a violent crackdown targeting the core of the ‘No to Execution Tuesdays’ campaign in Ghezel Hesar Prison, the movement continues with determination and collective resistance across Iran’s prison system,” the members of the campaign declared in their latest statement on July 29, marking the 79th week of “No to Executions Tuesdays.”

Just a day before the executions of Ehsani and Hassani, on Saturday, July 26, more than 100 armed prison guards and intelligence forces stormed the political prisoners’ ward in Unit 4 of Ghezel Hesar under the orders of prison warden Allah-Karam Azizi and his deputies Hassan Ghobadi and Esmail Farajnejad. All inmates in the ward were violently removed, blindfolded, handcuffed, and transferred to solitary confinement. Among them was Saeed Masouri, a founding signatory of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign, who has since been exiled to Zahedan Prison.

“Despite this violent assault, political prisoners in Qarchak and Greater Tehran Penitentiary held ceremonies and chanted slogans reaffirming their commitment to stopping executions,” the statement reads in part.

The campaign also warned that in the past week, political prisoner Yaqub Derakhshan, previously arrested for alleged anti-state propaganda, was sentenced to death last week in Lakan Prison in Rasht. At the same time, at least 20 other individuals were executed across various prisons in Iran.

The campaign’s latest statement also reveals alarming statistics: since Masoud Pezeshkian assumed the presidency, “the number of executions has surged to at least 1,477—exceeding those recorded during previous years, including the tenure of [Ebrahim] Raisi.”

Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Eje’i publicly confirmed the regime’s intensified crackdown during a recent press conference, boasting about the arrest of over 2,000 people during the regime’s so-called “12-day war.”

 

The statement from the campaign makes clear the intent behind the state’s violence: “to intimidate and silence a society that continues to demand justice, freedom, human dignity, and the right to self-determination.”

The campaign warns of the grave danger facing political prisoners who have played leading roles in the movement and have now been transferred to unknown locations. “We urge everyone to not abandon the families of the executed prisoners or the campaign’s members,” the statement reads in part. “The lives of political prisoners in Ghezel Hesar and other prisons are in serious jeopardy.”

The statement calls on inmates across the country to draw inspiration from the resilience of political prisoners and women detainees in Qarchak and Greater Tehran prisons—organizing ceremonies and refusing to allow the blood of executed activists to be forgotten.

The campaign concludes with a powerful message: “Victory over tyranny and regression lies in collective unity and solidarity.”

 

Nationwide Hunger Strike – 79th Week of the Campaign
On Tuesday, July 29, prisoners in 48 prisons across the country will go on hunger strike to mark the 79th week of the No to Execution Tuesdays campaign. Participating prisons include:

Greater Tehran Region: Ghezel Hesar Prison (Units 3 and 4), Karaj Central, Fardis Karaj, Greater Tehran Central Penitentiary
Tehran Province: Qarchak, Khorrin Varamin
Northern and Caspian Region: Choobindar Qazvin, Azbar Lāhijān, Haviq Talesh, Gonbad-e Kavus, Qaemshahr, Rasht (Men’s and Women’s), Rudsar
Western and Central Provinces: Arak, Khorramabad, Yasuj, Asadabad Isfahan, Dastgerd Isfahan, Dizel Abad Kermanshah, Ardabil, Tabriz
Southern Provinces: Sheiban Ahvaz, Sepidar Ahvaz (Men’s and Women’s), Shiraz Military, Adel Abad Shiraz (Men’s and Women’s), Firouzabad Fars, Borazjan, Ramhormoz, Behbahan, Bam, Yazd, Kahnooj, Tabas
Eastern Provinces: Mashhad, Zahedan (Women’s ward)
Northwest and Kurdish Provinces: Urmia, Salmas, Khoy, Naqadeh, Miandoab, Mahabad, Bukan, Saqqez, Baneh, Marivan, Sanandaj, Kamyaran
The “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign—now in its 79th week—has become a symbol of Iran’s growing resistance against the death penalty and systemic repression. Despite intensified state violence, the collective voice of defiance echoes louder each week.

 

Iran’s ‘No to Execution’ Campaign Marks 79th Week Despite Political Executions

Staff WriterJuly 29, 2025
Arab-Islamic Committee in Defence of Ashraf
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