A Growing Movement Against the Death Penalty — An Ongoing Human Rights Project of Verein Welle
Project launched: January 2024 (campaign)
Location: Prisons across Iran
Participating prisons: 66, as reported on October 6, 2026
Project status: Ongoing
A Movement Born Behind Prison Walls
Every Tuesday, prisoners across Iran put their lives and health at risk to protest one of the most serious violations of human rights: the use of the death penalty.
The “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign began in January 2024 in Ghezel Hesar Prison, near Tehran, when prisoners condemned to death initiated weekly hunger strikes to protest executions and defend the fundamental right to life.
What began as an act of resistance inside one prison gradually developed into a nationwide movement involving prisoners from different backgrounds, including political prisoners, women, members of ethnic minorities and other individuals opposing capital punishment.
Despite severe restrictions, isolation and the threat of reprisals, prisoners have continued their peaceful protest every Tuesday.
Their determination has transformed a prison-based protest into a sustained human rights movement calling for an end to executions in Iran.
The History and Growth of the Campaign
January 2024 — The Beginning
The movement emerged from Ghezel Hesar Prison, where prisoners began weekly hunger strikes against executions. Their protest drew attention to the increasing use of capital punishment and the suffering of prisoners awaiting execution.
Throughout 2024 — Expanding Solidarity
The campaign gradually spread to other prisons, including Evin Prison, Karaj Central Prison and facilities in various Iranian provinces.
Women prisoners also joined the campaign, helping to strengthen a collective movement for human dignity, justice and the abolition of the death penalty.
December 2024 — 28 Participating Prisons
By the 48th week of the campaign, on December 24, 2024, prisoners in 28 prisons were reported to be participating in weekly hunger strikes.
The movement was becoming an important symbol of collective resistance to executions.
2025 — A Year of Escalating Executions and Continued Resistance
As the campaign continued to expand, the human rights situation in Iran deteriorated.
According to Amnesty International, at least 2,159 people were executed in Iran during 2025, more than twice the number recorded in 2024.
Despite this alarming escalation, prisoners continued their weekly protest, demanding an end to executions and greater international intervention.
September 2026 — 64 Participating Prisons
By the 139th week of the campaign, on September 22, 2026, participation had expanded to 64 prisons, according to the campaign’s published statements.
This development demonstrated the growing geographical reach of the movement.
October 2026 — 66 Participating Prisons
On October 6, 2026, during the campaign’s 141st consecutive week, organizers reported that prisoners in 66 prisons across Iran were participating in the weekly hunger strikes.
From a single prison in January 2024, the movement had expanded into a coordinated campaign reaching dozens of detention facilities across the country.
The campaign remains ongoing, and the number of participating prisons may change as new information becomes available.
The Human Rights Crisis Behind the Campaign
The continued use of the death penalty in Iran raises grave concerns about the protection of human life, access to fair trials and the treatment of prisoners.
International human rights organizations have repeatedly documented unfair judicial proceedings, torture allegations, coerced confessions and the use of capital punishment against political dissidents and other vulnerable groups.
The scale of executions in Iran highlights the urgent need for international attention.
Behind every execution is a human life, a family and a community affected by irreversible loss.
The prisoners participating in the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign are demanding that these lives not be forgotten.
Their movement represents a broader struggle for justice, human dignity and the abolition of capital punishment.
Verein Welle — Our Commitment to the Campaign
For Verein Welle, supporting the visibility of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign is not a temporary activity. It is a long-term human rights commitment.
As a Switzerland-based non-profit association with two decades of experience in human rights advocacy, protecting lives and opposing executions, Verein Welle recognizes the importance of documenting and amplifying the voices of prisoners who face extraordinary risks.
Our association dedicates time, organizational resources and financial support to collecting information, following developments, preparing reports and raising international awareness of this campaign.
We believe that maintaining public attention requires continuous effort, especially when access to independent information from inside Iranian prisons is severely restricted.
Our work includes:
Research and Information Gathering
Following developments related to the weekly protests, collecting available information from credible sources and monitoring statements concerning participating prisons and prisoners at risk of execution.
Documentation and Reporting
Organizing and publishing relevant information about the campaign, changes in participation, executions and related human rights concerns.
International Awareness
Helping information about the campaign reach a broader international audience, including civil society organizations, human rights advocates and members of the public.
Long-Term Organizational and Financial Support
Allocating association resources to research, documentation, translation, communication and public awareness activities related to the campaign.
Solidarity with Prisoners and Their Families
Supporting public recognition of the courage of participating prisoners and helping ensure that the human rights concerns raised by prisoners and their families remain visible.
Our role is to contribute to independent awareness, documentation and advocacy. The prisoners themselves remain the driving force behind the weekly hunger strikes.
Why Independent Documentation Matters
Information emerging from Iranian prisons is often difficult to obtain and verify.
Communication restrictions, limited access to prisoners and the risks faced by individuals sharing information create major challenges for human rights documentation.
Accurate reporting therefore requires time, research, careful assessment and sustained financial and organizational resources.
For Verein Welle, this work is an essential part of our commitment to defending fundamental human rights.
Each report contributes to preserving the history of the campaign, increasing public awareness and strengthening international solidarity.
We seek to ensure that the voices of prisoners do not disappear behind prison walls.
Our Long-Term Project: Keeping the Campaign Visible
Verein Welle considers the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign a continuing human rights project.
Through this project, we aim to preserve the history of the movement, follow its development and document its continued resistance to the death penalty.
Our objectives are to maintain an accessible record of the campaign, publish updates as reliable information becomes available, highlight urgent cases and encourage international engagement.
This page serves as the central information point for Verein Welle’s continuing work concerning the campaign.
Weekly reports, related publications, statements and documented developments will form part of this broader project.
A Call for International Solidarity
The courage of prisoners participating in weekly hunger strikes deserves international attention and solidarity.
Their peaceful resistance sends a powerful message: the right to life must be respected, and the use of the death penalty must end.
We call on international human rights organizations, democratic institutions, civil society groups, journalists and individuals to raise awareness of the situation of prisoners facing execution in Iran.
Silence must not become acceptance.
Protecting human life requires consistent attention, independent documentation and collective action.
Support Verein Welle — Help Us Continue This Work
Behind every report is research. Behind every documented case is a human life. Behind every continuing project is a commitment that requires resources.
Verein Welle dedicates time and financial resources to gathering information, documenting developments and raising international awareness of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign.
Your financial contribution helps our association maintain these essential human rights activities.
By supporting Verein Welle, you contribute to our capacity to continue independent documentation, publication and advocacy against executions.
Help us keep their voices heard.
Support the Right to Life. Support Independent Human Rights Documentation.
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