Iran’s ‘No to Executions’ campaign expands to 56 prisons in 110th week amid internet blackout

2026-03-03 - 15:23

On Tuesday, March 3, 2026, political prisoners across Iran launched the 110th consecutive week of the “No to Executions Tuesdays” hunger strike. The campaign, which has now expanded to 56 prisons nationwide, issued a defiant statement characterizing the death of the regime’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as a pivotal moment for the country’s future. In their weekly statement, the striking prisoners described the death of Khamenei as the “gateway to democracy,” emphasizing that the Iranian people will not accept a return to previous forms of autocracy. “We believe that Iran, despite all ups and downs, is finally moving toward a bright future and will never return to the past and dictatorial regimes. The freedom of Iran will be achieved by the people and through their own unity and solidarity, not by foreign powers,” the statement read. The expansion of the hunger strike comes amidst a sharp spike in state-sanctioned killings. The campaign reported that the number of executions carried out since the beginning of the Persian month of Esfand (starting February 20) has exceeded 65. The judiciary has also issued new death sentences against protesters. Mohammad Reza Majidi Asl, detained during the uprising of December 2025 (Dey 1404), was recently sentenced to death in Tehran on charges of “Moharebeh” (waging war against God). Additionally, the death sentences for Mohammad Faraji and Raouf Sheikh Maroufi, two Kurdish prisoners arrested during the 2022 uprising, have been confirmed. Despite a severe internet blackout imposed by authorities to stifle information flow, reports indicate that the “No to Executions” movement has transcended prison walls. Protests have been reported in dozens of cities, including Tehran, Tabriz, Shiraz, Mashhad, Rasht, and Zahedan. Demonstrators and families of prisoners have been chanting slogans such as “Short coming in front of the execution regime, never,” and “We fight, we die, we take Iran back.” The striking prisoners called on international human rights bodies to intervene immediately to save the lives of those on death row, demanding that the regime’s record of crimes be referred to the UN Security Council. The 110th week of the hunger strike took place in 56 facilities, including: Evin Prison (women’s and men’s wards), Ghezel Hesar (units 2, 3, and 4), Karaj Central, Great Tehran, Qarchak, Khorin Varamin, Qazvin, Arak, Lakan Rasht, Sheiban Ahvaz, Adelabad Shiraz, Vakilabad Mashhad, and prisons in Tabriz, Urmia, Zahedan, Isfahan, and Sanandaj, among others.