Iran Human Rights (IHNRGO); October 15, 2024: Ahead of "World Day Against the Death Penalty" and coinciding with the 37th week of the hunger strikes known as "No Death Penalty Tuesdays,” Iranian and international human rights experts and activists joined a 24-hour livestream hosted by Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) and the Global Campaign to Stop Executions in Iran in support of the abolitionist campaign behind bars, emphasising the need for solidarity and collective efforts to end executions and abolish this inhumane punishment in Iran.
The "No Death Penalty Tuesdays" abolitionist campaign was initiated by prisoners in Ghezelhesar Prison in Karaj on 30th January 2024 after bearing witness to weekly group executions. The diverse group of political prisoners from different backgrounds and beliefs thus began a weekly hunger strike on 30th January that became known as “Black Tuesdays” and “No Death Penalty Tuesdays.” They chose Tuesdays for that is the day death row inmates are typically transferred to solitary confinement in preparation for the gallows in Ghezelhesar Prison. The campaign has now spread to 22 prisons across Iran.
The livestream began with Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, Director of Iran Human Rights, who described the prisoners’ continuous resistance in the 37th week of the "No Death Penalty Tuesdays" campaign as "the flag bearers of the struggle to abolish the death penalty, not only in Iran but around the world." He emphasised that the campaign is against all executions, “not just political executions.”
The IHRNGO Director highlighted the history and significance of the "World Day Against the Death Penalty," pointing out that 74% of recorded global executions in 2023 took place in Iran. With 834 executions last year, Iran remains one of the top countries in carrying out the death penalty. He also highlighted the recent acceleration in executions in Iran, especially in the shadow of the recent tensions between Iran and Israel, stressing the need for a "vast social movement both inside Iran and worldwide" to stop the "execution machine."
Narges Mohammadi, imprisoned human rights defender and Nobel Peace Prize laureate who is a member of the "No Death Penalty Tuesdays" campaign in Evin Prison, sent a letter to the livestream, emphasising: "We need loud voices from around the world to abolish the death penalty. We expect global and impactful solidarity from human rights circles to support the abolitionist movement in Iran."
Dr Javaid Rehman, human rights lawyer and professor, whose six-year tenure as the UN Special Rapporteur for the situation of Human Rights in Iran recently ended, stated in a video message that the death penalty "neither serves justice nor makes societies safer." He described it as "a weapon for terrorise the entire population of a country", particularly targeting vulnerable and marginalised individuals whose executions result in very little political cost.
Shirin Ebadi, lawyer, human rights defender, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, also participated in the livestream. She discussed the development of anti-death penalty movements after the Islamic Revolution, evolving from a single voice to a collective effort, and stressed the need to "amplify the voice of opposition against the illegal execution penalty."
On 30 September, Shirin Ebadi, along with eight other Nobel Peace Prize laureates, issued a statement reaffirming their support for the "No Death Penalty Tuesdays Against" campaign and called for an end to this inhumane punishment in Iran.
Nasrin Sotoudeh, lawyer and prominent human rights defender, sent a message from Iran, describing "death penalty" and "war" as the fantasies of revolutionary governments that "seek to prolong their existence by taking citizens' lives." She added, "In despotic states, both war and the death penalty are used to legally justify state killings, and the most ruthless form of tyranny is the reckless use of the death penalty, as the Islamic Republic does."
Sholeh Pakravan, human rights defender and mother of executed Reyhaneh Jabbari, highlighted the need for special attention to executions for murder and drug-related offences. She noted that the decline in public executions in Iran indicates that the "demand for an end to the death penalty is becoming a national demand."
Alongside the 24-hour live program in support of "No Death Penalty Tuesdays," UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, Dr Mai Sato, released a video message praising the initiative by Iranian prisoners in launching the "No Death Penalty Tuesdays" campaign as a sign of an unwavering commitment to human rights and justice. She urged the international community to amplify the campaign's call to end the death penalty.
On 27 April 2024, 68 Iranian and international human rights organisations issued a joint statement in support and solidarity with the "No Death Penalty Tuesdays" campaign, urging “an immediate halt on all executions with a view to abolish the death penalty in Iran and urge the international community to support the growing abolition movement in Iran.”
In her message, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran also stressed the importance of the "World Day Against the Death Penalty" concerning Iran, given the increasing and worrying use of the death penalty by the Islamic Republic, and called on the Iranian government to end executions.
The 24-hour live program featured a wide range of participants, including families of executed prisoners and those on death row, members of the "No Death Penalty Tuesdays" campaign, prominent Iranian and international human rights lawyers, academics, and political, civil, and media activists opposing the death penalty. It also included ethnic rights activists and representatives from Iranian and international abolitionist organisations.
Additionally, various groups held rallies in different cities in support of the "No Death Penalty Tuesdays" and joined the program with live reports from countries such as the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Norway, Sweden, Canada, and the United States.
The live broadcast is available on IHRNGO YouTube channel, and the Instagram account of the Global Campaign to Stop Executions in Iran.