In a statement released in conjunction with their latest protest, the prisoners condemned a recent surge in executions, accusing the regime of using global distractions, such as the Paris Olympics, to carry out state-sanctioned killings unnoticed.
According to the campaign’s statement, over 45 prisoners have been executed since the previous Tuesday, including 29 in a single day and 26 in a mass execution at Ghezel Hesar Prison. This horrific event set a new record for state-sanctioned killings not seen in recent years.
The statement emphasized that the regime continues to use ambiguous and politically motivated charges, like “rebellion” and “corruption on earth,” to justify these death sentences. Recently, six Sunni political prisoners were sentenced to death by the Mashhad Revolutionary Court, putting their lives in immediate danger.
The prisoners pointed to a significant rise in executions following the inauguration of Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, who claimed, “Iran is the safest country in the Middle East.” The statement critically remarked, “In the regime of executions, ‘security’ is defined in this way.”
Message of Resistance and Defiance from Inside #Iran’s Prisonshttps://t.co/JeIZGO08E5
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) July 24, 2024
Reflecting on the origins of the “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign, the prisoners explained that it began in response to executions of prisoners convicted of ordinary crimes. It later expanded to include politically motivated executions of young Kurds and Sunnis, as well as individuals like Mohammad Qobadlou and Farhad Salimi. They warned that the recent decrease in executions was only temporary, anticipating a “widespread wave of prisoner executions.”
The statement also condemned the violent suppression of protests within various prisons. Recent attacks included assaults on inmates in the women’s ward of Evin Prison and a brutal crackdown on protesters at Lakan Prison in Rasht. Despite these repressive measures, the prisoners declared that such oppression “will certainly not stop the continuation of these protests and will not intimidate us.”
They reaffirmed their resolve, asserting that their resistance against this “barbarism” is their right and that they stand in solidarity with the families of those executed, especially the family of Reza Rasai, a recent victim of the regime’s execution policy.
#Iranian Political Prisoners Risk Lives to Send Defiant Message from Regime’s Clutcheshttps://t.co/ceJPgdy4Xu
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) May 3, 2024
In a heartfelt plea, the prisoners called on “all conscientious individuals inside and outside the country” to rise against the executions and support the “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign. They emphasized the urgent need for collective action to prevent the regime from executing “hundreds and thousands” of prisoners across Iran’s numerous prisons.
Concluding their message, the prisoners honored the memory of all execution victims and reaffirmed the necessity of abolishing the death penalty in Iran. They announced that, for the 29th consecutive week, prisoners in 18 facilities would continue their hunger strike in protest.
Protest gathering of the families of prisoners sentenced to death in front of the Judiciary in Tehran and Bandar Abbas#StopExecutionsInIran #قیام_جواب_اعدام#نه_به_اعدام pic.twitter.com/5FjhJwbGee
— Navid (@Navid2019) May 18, 2023
The “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign, driven by the courage and perseverance of these political prisoners, remains a potent symbol of resistance against a regime that seeks to crush the Iranian people’s spirit through fear and brutality. Their unwavering defiance within the regime’s prisons stands as a testament to the enduring struggle for justice and human rights in Iran.
MEK Iran (follow us on Twitter and Facebook), Maryam Rajavi’s on her site, Twitter & Facebook, NCRI (Twitter & Facebook), and People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran – MEK IRAN – YouTu
