“No to Execution Tuesdays”: Iran’s Political Prisoners Resist a Regime of Repression

Please share with your network!

Jila Andalib, IT Specialist & Iran Political and Human Rights Analyst

Every Tuesday, political prisoners across Iran go on hunger strike in defiance of a regime that has turned execution into routine governance. The campaign—known as “No to Execution Tuesdays”—began with the courage of women in Evin Prison and now echoes across 46 prisons nationwide. It is more than protest—it is a cry for life against the machinery of death. As scholars of Iranian heritage, we have a responsibility not only to study and reflect—but to stand with these prisoners in spirit, in speech, and in global advocacy. Their voices are being silenced. Ours must grow louder.

What began in early 2024 as a symbolic act by a handful of women prisoners has become a deeply significant civil disobedience campaign. It draws attention to one of the darkest aspects of the Iranian regime: the execution of thousands of citizens under vague, arbitrary, or politically motivated charges.

According to  reports, over 1,000 executions took place in 2024 alone, marking it the highest number in over three decades. These executions include minors, women, ethnic minorities, and a growing number of political prisoners. The victims were denied access to fair trials, legal representation, or basic due process.

Shockingly, Baluchi and Kurdish prisoners—already among Iran’s most discriminated minorities—make up a disproportionate number of those hanged. In one case, four Baluchi prisoners were executed in a single day in Zahedan, with no public announcement or notice to their families. This reflects what observers have called a strategy of “execution as intimidation,” especially in restive regions.

Human rights monitors from Iran Human Rights (IHR) and Amnesty International also recorded a disturbing trend: public executions and the hanging of prisoners in front of other detainees have re-emerged in recent months, methods aimed at instilling terror within prison populations.

The “No to Execution Tuesdays” movement was launched by female political prisoners, who have long borne the brunt of the regime’s vengeance. In Evin Prison—synonymous with political torture and abuse—women began hunger striking not only in opposition to executions but in solidarity with those who had already been executed or were on death row.

From Gohardasht and Qarchak to Urmia and Isfahan, their cry has echoed. These women often face double persecution—both for their gender and for their political activism. At least 31 women were executed in 2024, according to IHR, making it the deadliest year for women in Iran in over a decade.

One notable voice is Reyhaneh Jabbari, whose letters and memories are still circulated today as symbols of defiance. Although she was executed in 2014, her case ignited a lasting awareness of how women are targeted even when defending themselves from assault, let alone protesting for change.

In recent months, reports have revealed cases where female prisoners have been denied medical treatment, subjected to solitary confinement, and physically abused for participating in the Tuesday protests.

The Iranian regime’s reliance on the death penalty to silence dissent is not new. The roots of this brutality date back to the early years of the Islamic Republic. In the summer of 1988, under the direct orders of Khomeini, more than 30,000 political prisoners were executed, many of them affiliated with the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). This event, often referred to as the 1988 Massacre, remains one of the worst state-led atrocities in modern Iranian history.

Victims were hauled before so-called “Death Commissions,” where they were asked simple questions like whether they still supported the MEK. Those who answered “yes” were immediately taken away and hanged. Many were buried in mass graves, such as the infamous Khavaran Cemetery, with families barred from mourning.

One of the members of those Death Commissions was Ebrahim Raisi, Iran’s president until his death in 2024. His involvement—and subsequent rise to power—serves as a chilling reminder that Iran’s execution policies are not a relic of the past, but a continuing pillar of state repression.

Despite this egregious record, the international community’s primary focus in dealings with Iran has been the nuclear issue. While concerns over Iran’s potential to develop nuclear weapons are extremely valid, the exclusive focus on uranium enrichment has often overshadowed the regime’s daily human rights atrocities.

Negotiations with Tehran have routinely excluded any meaningful mention of human rights. The lifting of sanctions, the unfreezing of assets, and diplomatic engagement often occur without demanding a halt to executions or political repression.

By mid-2025, over 100 political prisoners across 46 prisons had participated in hunger strikes as part of “No to Execution Tuesdays.” According to reports, this included several high-risk prisons known for their political detainees such as:

  • Evin (Tehran)
  • Gohardasht (Karaj)
  • Qarchak (Women’s Prison)
  • Urmia, Mashhad, Tabriz, Sanandaj, Isfahan, and others

In many cases, these protests have been met with violent crackdowns. Prison guards have stormed cells, confiscated belongings, and placed hunger strikers in solitary confinement. Yet the prisoners remain defiant, issuing statements calling for unity and urging international observers to raise the alarm.

In Qarchak Women’s Prison, prisoners have been recorded chanting “No to Execution” and “Death to the Dictator,” risking beatings and additional charges. In Evin, guards have reportedly threatened prisoners with transfer to worse facilities or longer sentences.

The regime has not limited its repression to prison walls. Families of those executed—or even those simply protesting—are targeted with harassment, arrests, and surveillance. Mothers of political prisoners, often seen outside courthouses or prisons holding pictures of their children, have been detained or attacked by security forces.

The case of Shahin Naseri, a witness who spoke out against the torture of political prisoner Navid Afkari (later executed in 2020), underscores the danger. Naseri himself was found dead in prison under suspicious circumstances shortly afterward.

Human rights defenders have long called for a shift in Western policy toward Iran—one that prioritizes accountability over appeasement. The United Nations and European Parliament have issued statements, but these have rarely translated into meaningful action.

The “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign serves as a rallying cry not just for Iranians, but for the global community. There are several steps democratic governments can take:

  1. Condition negotiations and economic deals on human rights benchmarks.
  2. Publicly support Iranian political prisoners and elevate their stories in international forums.
  3. Sanction individual perpetrators involved in torture and executions.
  4. Push for a UN-led investigation into the 1988 massacre and current abuses.
  5. Deny legitimacy to institutions like Iran’s judiciary and security forces complicit in state killings.

The “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign is a living testament to the unyielding will of the Iranian people—even behind bars, even on the edge of death. Each Tuesday, their hunger speaks a truth the regime cannot hang. As members of the global academic community, and especially as scholars of Iranian descent, we must not be bystanders. Share their stories. Raise their names. Teach the truth. Speak where they cannot. To stay silent now is to betray everything that scholarship, dignity, and freedom stand for. This is our Tuesday too. Let’s make it count.