Sanandaj prison inmates have joined the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign, bringing the total to 41 participating prisons across Iran.
This marks the 66th week of the movement opposing capital punishment.
The campaign, which began in February 2024, involves weekly hunger strikes by prisoners.
Campaign participants linked this week’s protest to the Bandar Abbas explosion that killed dozens and injured over 1,000 people.
Their statement blamed the Islamic Republic and the Revolutionary Guards for the disaster.
The campaign reported 35 executions over the past 10 days, including one woman and two political prisoners.
Political prisoners Mehdi Hasani and Behrouz Ehsani face imminent execution after their retrial requests were rejected twice.
Another prisoner, Mohsen Langarneshin, has been transferred to solitary confinement on espionage charges, raising concerns about his possible execution.
“Thousands of prisoners in Iran face execution at any moment,” the statement said.
Sanandaj prisoners announced they will join the hunger strike on Tuesday.
The campaign noted its timing near International Workers’ Day and Teachers’ Day, saying that workers and teachers in Iran have faced imprisonment and execution for demanding their rights.
Iran executed at least 169 people in January and February, according to Mai Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran.
During her first presentation to the UN Human Rights Council, Sato warned that if the current pace continues, Iran could carry out more than 1,000 executions this year.
“I am very concerned about the rapid rise in the number of executions, especially in just the last two months,” Sato told IranWire in an exclusive interview following her presentation.
“I believe, looking at last year’s patterns, January and February are usually quiet months, but we’ve already identified at least 169 executions,” she added.
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