Iran’s ‘No to Executions Tuesdays’ campaign expands to 56 prisons as regime executes 355 in one month

2026-01-27 - 19:21

On Tuesday, January 27, 2026, the nationwide “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign marked a grim milestone, entering its 105th consecutive week and beginning its third year of activity. The hunger strike movement, which began in the corridors of Ghezel Hesar Prison, has now spread to 56 facilities across Iran, with Gorgan Prison joining the collective action this week. This expansion comes amidst a violent crackdown following the nationwide uprising of January 2026. While the strikes continued inside the penitentiary system, protests erupted in multiple cities in solidarity, linking the resistance behind bars with the public demand for regime change. A “killing machine” in overdrive The 105th week of the campaign coincides with a staggering surge in state-sanctioned killings. According to the statement released by the participating prisoners, the Iranian regime executed over 355 individuals in the Persian calendar month of Dey (December 22, 2025 – January 20, 2026) alone. The killing spree continued into the early days of Bahman (starting on January 21, 2026), with more than 50 prisoners sent to the gallows, including political prisoners Amanj Karvanchi and Arsalan Sheikhi. 105th Week of #NoToExecutionTuesdays | Jan 27, 2026 Now active in 56 prisons as Gorgan Prison joins and the campaign enters its third year. Over 355 executed in 30 days. UN Special Rapporteur Mae Sato calls the killings a crime against humanity. We warn against mass... pic.twitter.com/EGEJxutwX0 — SIMAY AZADI TV (@en_simayazadi) January 27, 2026 The scale of the bloodshed has drawn international condemnation. The statement notes that Mai Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur, has classified these mass killings as a “crime against humanity” and called for the prosecution of the leaders of the clerical regime. In their weekly statement, the striking prisoners wrote: “The regime of repression and execution has not only refused to stop the executions but has also dragged the wave of killing and execution to the streets, hospitals, detention centers, and even people’s homes.” Overcrowding and hidden atrocities Following the January uprising, the regime has resorted to mass arrests, pushing the prison system to its breaking point. Prisoners report that in Ahvaz’s Sheiban Prison, newly constructed wards intended to reduce overcrowding have instead been converted into quarantine zones for hundreds of fresh detainees. Similar patterns are reported in Karaj Central Prison and Ghezel Hesar, where existing inmates are being transferred or halls evacuated to make room for those arrested during the protests. The statement issued by the campaign included an urgent warning regarding the fate of those arrested. Prisoners allege that authorities are killing detainees under torture and transferring them to morgues, such as the infamous Kahrizak facility, only to later misclassify them as “street casualties” to evade accountability for custodial deaths. “We warn that the government intends to kill many detainees and wounded, transferring them to morgues like Kahrizak... and announcing them as street casualties,” the prisoners stated. “Therefore, we, the members of the ‘No to Executions Tuesdays’ campaign, warn against any heavy sentences against the detainees of recent protests and their harassment and killing.” Solidarity beyond the walls The “No to Executions” campaign has evolved from a prison-centric protest into a national movement. On Tuesday, simultaneous gatherings were reported in dozens of cities, including Karaj, Rasht, Kermanshah, Mashhad, Shiraz, Tabriz, and Isfahan. Protesters in the streets chanted slogans directly echoing the demands of the political prisoners, including “Fire answers execution,” “No prison, no execution,” and “Death to the child-killing regime.” Families of political prisoners and those killed in the protests played a central role in these gatherings, holding photos of their loved ones and demanding the release of all political detainees. In a moving statement of solidarity with the families of the martyrs of the uprising, the families of political prisoners declared: “One Iran is suffering and mourning today. Seeing the heartbreaking images of compatriots in the morgues of our oppressed homeland, searching for their loved ones among thousands of blood-soaked bodies, scratched our livers and we wept from the depths of our souls.” A network of resistance As the campaign enters its third year, it has cemented a network of resistance across 56 prisons. The hunger strike on January 27 included inmates from: Evin Prison (Women’s and Men’s wards), Ghezel Hesar (Units 2, 3, and 4), Karaj Central, Great Tehran, Qarchak, Khorin Varamin, Chubindar Qazvin, Arak, Lakan Rasht (Men’s and Women’s), Sheiban Ahvaz, Sepidar Ahvaz (Men’s and Women’s), Shiraz Central (Adelabad), Mashhad, Zahedan, Tabriz, Urmia, Sanandaj, and the newly joined Gorgan Prison, among others.