Prisoners’ Hunger Strike Expands; Worldwide Actions Denounce All Executions
During the first 20 days of May, at least 129 people were hanged in Iran’s prisons (averaging one person every four hours), reported the “No to Execution Tuesdays” Instagram account. It continued:
In response to this violence and systematic violation of the “right to life,” we are witnessing an increase in protests by families of prisoners sentenced to death and widespread support for this campaign by young people in various cities. This support has gained a broader face with various popular initiatives.
The “No to Execution Tuesdays” [weekly hunger strike] expanded to 44 prisons in its 69th week, with the addition of Mahabad, Bukan, and Yasuj prisons.
Among the wider protests that the campaign noted, one that stands out is the call posted by exiled activist Mansoureh Behkish for actions in ten cities in Europe on May 31. She is a signatory to the IEC 2021 Emergency Appeal who had 6 family members executed by Iran’s theocratic regime in 1988. The call concludes:
We, the left, democratic, feminist and queer (LGBTQ+) institutions and collectives who sign this call, in solidarity with political and social activists, political prisoners and their families, and the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign in Iran, have prepared a joint action for Saturday, May 31, 2025, to abolish the death penalty and end all forms of torture and confessional extortion, to release all political prisoners, and against the apartheid regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran. To this end, we call on all free people and progressive forces abroad to join us in spreading the freedom-loving and egalitarian voice of the Iranian people to the ears of the world.
Also, twelve organizations from different cities worldwide have mobilized for 10 days of actions against executions from May 17 through May 27. As of May 22, actions have included a small vigil in Azadi Square Park in Tehran, Iran; Washington, DC; Cologne and Frankfurt, Germany; Malmo and Gothenburg, Sweden; and an action in Madrid, Spain, which stood out for its mobilization of broader solidarity from Spanish feminist groups.
During the first 20 days of May, at least 129 people were hanged in Iran’s prisons (averaging one person every four hours), reported the “No to Execution Tuesdays” Instagram account. It continued:
In response to this violence and systematic violation of the “right to life,” we are witnessing an increase in protests by families of prisoners sentenced to death and widespread support for this campaign by young people in various cities. This support has gained a broader face with various popular initiatives.
The “No to Execution Tuesdays” [weekly hunger strike] expanded to 44 prisons in its 69th week, with the addition of Mahabad, Bukan, and Yasuj prisons.
Among the wider protests that the campaign noted, one that stands out is the call posted by exiled activist Mansoureh Behkish for actions in ten cities in Europe on May 31. She is a signatory to the IEC 2021 Emergency Appeal who had 6 family members executed by Iran’s theocratic regime in 1988. The call concludes:
We, the left, democratic, feminist and queer (LGBTQ+) institutions and collectives who sign this call, in solidarity with political and social activists, political prisoners and their families, and the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign in Iran, have prepared a joint action for Saturday, May 31, 2025, to abolish the death penalty and end all forms of torture and confessional extortion, to release all political prisoners, and against the apartheid regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran. To this end, we call on all free people and progressive forces abroad to join us in spreading the freedom-loving and egalitarian voice of the Iranian people to the ears of the world.
Also, twelve organizations from different cities worldwide have mobilized for 10 days of actions against executions from May 17 through May 27. As of May 22, actions have included a small vigil in Azadi Square Park in Tehran, Iran; Washington, DC; Cologne and Frankfurt, Germany; Malmo and Gothenburg, Sweden; and an action in Madrid, Spain, which stood out for its mobilization of broader solidarity from Spanish feminist groups.