The “Tuesdays against the death penalty” campaign

In recent months, the human rights situation in Iran has deteriorated dramatically. During the summer, while many of us were on vacation, the Iranian regime took advantage of the moment to carry out a wave of arbitrary executions. Over 80 lives were lost in August alone, many of them young people who wanted nothing more than to live in freedom and dignity.

These cruel actions must not go unpunished. The international community, including the United Nations, has strongly condemned these human rights violations, but it is clear that this is not enough to stop the regime’s brutal machinery.

Together, we can send a strong message against this injustice. With your donations, you can help save the lives of young people in Iran and provide them with a future free from fear and violence.

The “Tuesdays against the death penalty” campaign

The “Tuesdays Against the Death Penalty” campaign is a weekly hunger strike initiated by political prisoners since January 2024 in Iranian prisons. Since January 2024, prisoners sentenced to death in Iran went on hunger strike every Tuesday and publicly asked for support to stop executions in the country. The prisoners are protesting the ongoing and widespread use of the death penalty in Iran. Since most executions took place on Tuesdays, the prisoners chose this day and it’s known as the “Tuesdays Against the Death Penalty” campaign. Their demand is the abolition of this inhumane and irreversible punishment, regardless of the charges or convictions.

In solidarity with the prisoners, former Italian MP Elizabeta Zamparutti has joined the hunger strike to call for an end to the executions.

The situation for human rights defenders in Iran continues to worsen, particularly due to the increase in death sentences against political prisoners. Recently, three political prisoners—Marzieh Farsi, Forough Taghipour, and Nasim Gholami-Fard—were charged with “Baghi” (rebellion against God), a crime punishable by death. Particularly concerning is the case of Marzieh Farsi, who is suffering from cancer ****but remains in detention.

Sharifeh Mohammadi, a labor rights activist, and Kurdish social worker Pakhshan Azizi have also been sentenced to death under the same charge of “Baghi.” Both women were forced to confess under severe torture.

These charges against activists, including women’s rights advocate Varish Moradi, illustrate how dangerous the situation has become for human rights defenders in Iran. The international community must urgently protest these severe human rights violations and demand the immediate release of these prisoners.

The Iranian regime is employing a particularly cruel form of torture by denying political prisoners access to urgent medical care. In the prisons of Shiban Ahvaz, Evin, Ghezel Hesar, and Khoy, many political prisoners are subjected to extreme conditions.

Those most affected include:

• Gholamhossein Kalbi, imprisoned for 30 years, suffers from a severe heart condition, a middle ear infection, arthritis, and back pain.
• Afshin Baymani, imprisoned for 24 years, is in urgent need of treatment for heart failure.
• Ayub Parkar, imprisoned for 16 years, suffers from heart problems, digestive disorders, and arthritis.
• Fátima Ziaei, who is imprisoned in Evin Prison and suffers from advanced multiple sclerosis.
• Ibrahim Khalil Sediqi, who suffers from severe diabetes and has already lost a toe.

The human rights movement is calling for an immediate condemnation of these crimes and urgent measures to secure the release of the severely ill political prisoners.