Hunger strike at ghezel hesar prison enters Its sixth day in protest of accelerated executions

The hunger strike by inmates at Ghezel Hesar Prison in the Iranian city of Karaj has entered its sixth day, marking the largest collective action of its kind in protest against the rapidly increasing executions inside the facility.

The strike began on October 14, 2025, after prison authorities transferred at least 16 death-row prisoners to solitary confinement in preparation for their executions.

Heart-wrenching video clips shared on social media show several prisoners with their lips sewn shut a scene that has sparked outrage both inside and outside Iran. Activists described it as “a cry for help from behind the walls of death.”

Executions Continue Amid the Strike

Despite the ongoing hunger strike, human rights sources confirmed that authorities have carried out at least five executions over the past six days, disregarding both domestic and international appeals to halt the escalating wave of death sentences.

Ghezel Hesar Prison is one of Iran’s most execution-heavy facilities, where death-row inmates from across Tehran and Karaj are transferred to face execution. The prison houses a large number of non-political inmates convicted mainly of criminal offenses, particularly drug-related crimes.

An Unprecedented Strike by Non-Political Prisoners

The current strike stands out as the most extensive protest among non-political prisoners. Dozens of inmates from Ward 2 have joined the action and issued a collective statement saying:

“We demand the abolition of the death penalty and the gallows in Iran… Life is a right for every human being, and no one should be sentenced to death in silence and darkness.”

Support from Political Prisoners and Prominent Activists

The strike has drawn wide support from Iranian activists and prominent figures both inside and outside prison walls. Among them is human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, who expressed solidarity with the strikers, warning that “the prisoners’ health conditions have become critical by the fifth day of the strike, and they face the risk of death if the authorities continue to ignore their suffering.”

Several political prisoners in Evin Prison also declared their solidarity, calling for an immediate halt to executions and demanding an investigation into the inhumane conditions and treatment within Iranian prisons.