Statement by 860 Political, Social, Civil, and Cultural Activists in Support of the Demands of the Striking Political Prisoners of Qezel Hesar and in Protest of the Expansion of Executions in Iran

Statement on the Escalation of Executions in Iran

As Iranian society grapples with its deepest social, economic, and political crises, the Islamic Republic, instead of addressing the roots of these crises, has turned the policy of execution into an unprecedentedly intense tool of control and suppression.

The widespread surge in death penalty sentences, particularly in Qezel Hesar Prison, signals the moral and judicial collapse of the justice system and a blatant disregard for human dignity.

For over a year, the courageous civil campaign of “Tuesdays for No to Execution” has been underway inside Qezel Hesar; this spontaneous movement by political prisoners involves a weekly hunger strike to protest against the culture of death. In response to the latest wave of executions, a group of non-political prisoners in Ward 2 of Qezel Hesar went on a hunger strike, sealing their lips to amplify their protest to Iranian society and the world. Reports indicated that the health of several of them deteriorated, leading to their transfer to the prison infirmary.

They have now temporarily and conditionally suspended their hunger strike in exchange for a promise from judicial authorities to impose a six-month suspension on the execution of death sentences.

We hereby declare: The Islamic Republic of Iran is fully responsible for the lives, health, and security of these prisoners.

Iran’s Policy of Execution: Not Justice, but Organized Violence

The policy of execution is not the implementation of justice, but the continuation of organized violence and an admission of inability to carry out social reform. In a society plagued by poverty, discrimination, and corruption, the expansion of death sentences is not a sign of authority, but an admission of the failure of law and ethics.

Execution is, in its very essence, the negation of human dignity and the denial of the right to life. No regime, even by invoking religion or law, has the right to turn human lives into a tool of politics and social control. While many countries around the world have abolished the death penalty based on human rights principles, its continuation in Iran signifies the isolation and desperation of a regime incapable of engaging in dialogue with its own society.

Call to Action

We call upon the people of Iran, intellectuals, lawyers, artists, and civil society activists both inside and outside the country not to remain silent in the face of this inhumane trend. It is now our moral and civic duty to strive by all peaceful means to halt and abolish the death penalty in Iran.

We also urge all international human rights organizations, freedom-lovers, and justice-seekers across the globe to take a decisive stand against the expansion of executions in Iran.

The Islamic Republic must understand that the continuation of this state violence will neither create legitimacy nor lasting security; rather, it will deepen hatred, anger, and social rupture and destroy public trust.

Our Declaration

In the name of humanity, we declare:

• Execution has no place with justice. Execution is the end of justice. No to execution. 
• Let us uphold life; let us be the voice of Qezel Hesar prisoners. 

Office

Central Executive Council

CODIR