April 22, 2025 – As Iran enters the 65th week of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign, prisoners across 40 detention centers, including a newly participating group from Behbahan Prison, are standing in solidarity against the country’s escalating use of the death penalty. This growing protest movement, led from behind prison walls, continues to shed light on the Islamic Republic’s systemic use of executions as a tool of political suppression.
This week’s statement, issued by prisoners in Behbahan, condemns the recent execution of political prisoner Hamid Hosseinnezhad Heydaranlou and the sentencing of Pejman Soltani to death. They assert that the Iranian regime’s increasing reliance on executions is a direct reflection of its fear of widespread dissent and unrest, warning that these acts should serve as an alarm to international human rights organizations.
The Case of Hamid Hosseinnezhad Heydaranlou
The execution of 40-year-old Hamid Hosseinnezhad Heydaranlou, a father of three, has sparked outrage among political prisoners and rights defenders alike. Arrested in April 2023, he endured severe torture and was reportedly coerced into signing pre-written confessions. His death is one of many that exemplify the regime’s brutal approach to silencing dissent.
Since March 20, 2024, at least 88 people have been executed in Iran, including five women, seven political prisoners, and two juvenile offenders. This marks a sharp increase from the previous year and mirrors the intensifying tensions across Iranian society.
A New Death Sentence for Protester Pejman Soltani
In another troubling development, Pejman Soltani, a Kurdish political prisoner from Bukan who was arrested during the 2022 nationwide protests, has been sentenced to death. His case adds to the growing list of individuals targeted for their participation in anti-regime demonstrations.
A Coordinated Movement Across 40 Prisons
The “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign, now in its 65th week, continues to gain momentum. Each Tuesday, political prisoners in dozens of prisons across the country go on hunger strike to protest the death penalty. This week, Behbahan Prison officially joined the campaign, with its inmates announcing their intention to strike every Tuesday going forward.
Participating prisons this week include:
-
Evin Prison (Women’s Ward, Wards 4 & 8)
-
Qezel-Hesar Prison (Units 3 & 4)
-
Karaj Central Prison
-
Greater Tehran Prison
-
Khorin Varamin Prison
-
Choubindar Qazvin Prison
-
Arak Prison
-
Khorramabad Prison
-
Isfahan Prisons: Asadabad and Dastgerd
-
Ahvaz Prisons: Sheyban and Sepidar (Men’s and Women’s Wards)
-
Shiraz Prisons: Nezam and Adelabad (Men’s and Women’s Wards)
-
**Borazjan, Ramhormoz, Bam, Kahnooj, Tabas, Jovin, Vakilabad Mashhad, Gonbad-e Kavus, Qaemshahr, Rasht (Men’s and Women’s Wards), Rudsar, Haviq Talesh, Dizelabad Kermanshah, Ardabil, Tabriz, Urmia, Salmas, Khoy, Naqadeh, Miandoab, Saqqez, Baneh, Marivan, Kamyaran, Zahedan (Women’s Ward), Azbaram Lahijan, and now Behbahan Prison.
A Call for International Action
The statement from Behbahan inmates concludes with a call to the global community. It urges international human rights bodies not to remain silent and to adopt urgent and tangible measures against Iran’s use of the death penalty as a political weapon.
As the campaign continues to grow within Iran’s most restrictive institutions, it amplifies the voices of those who refuse to be silenced—even behind bars. The international community now faces a crucial test: whether it will stand with these courageous prisoners or allow the machinery of state violence to continue unchecked.
