The “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign, a prisoner-led initiative protesting capital punishment in Iran, has entered its 26th week with growing support.
The campaign has now expanded to include prisoners from Urmia, Marivan, Kamyaran, Baneh, and Salmas prisons, according to the letter received by IranWire from inmates at Ghezel Hesar prison.
The expansion comes amid a sharp increase in death sentences and executions across the Islamic Republic’s prisons over the past few weeks.
The campaign, which began in February, aims to draw domestic and international attention to what participants describe as a “gross violation of the right to life” in Iran.
In their letter, the Ghezelhesar prisoners expressed alarm over the execution of more than 10 inmates last week, including two political prisoners.
They wrote, “While the government cannot respond to the rightful demands of the people, it intends to create terror in society by killing and executing prisoners on various charges, in order to create a roadblock against future protests and uprisings of the oppressed people.”
The campaign includes participants from various prisons, including Evin, Ghezelhesar, Karaj Central, Khorramabad, Tabriz, Khoi, Naqdeh, Mashhad, and Saqqez.
Campaigners are urging both political and non-political prisoners nationwide to join their cause, aiming to elevate “No to Execution” to a national demand.
The number of executions in Iran reached 853 in 2023, which is the highest recorded since 2015 and marks a 48 per cent increase from 2022 in the aftermath of the Woman, Life, Freedom protests.
The spike in death penalties has continued into 2024, with at least 95 recorded executions by March 20, according to Amnesty International.
Source » iranwire