Mass Hunger Strike in Sheiban Prison Against the Death Penalty

Reliable sources have reported that prisoners participating in the “No to Executions on Tuesday” campaign have begun a hunger strike in Sheiban Prison, under Iranian occupation in Ahwaz, in protest against the death penalty and Tehran’s use of executions to suppress minorities and dissenting voices.

The “No to Executions on Tuesday” campaign has once again warned against the Iranian government’s use of the death penalty as a means of maintaining its power. In a statement, the prisoners said:

The “Tuesday StrikeNo to Executions” campaign was launched in February 2023 by political prisoners in Iran. Political and non-political prisoners in 34 prisons across the country have joined the campaign, collectively engaging in a hunger strike against the death penalty every Tuesday.

Dozens of Ahwazi prisoners and detainees are held in Sheiban Prison, following a large-scale crackdown by Iranian occupation forces in several Ahwazi cities on the centennial anniversary of Iran’s occupation of Ahwaz.

Iranian intelligence forces have summoned hundreds of Ahwazis, previously arrested during past protests, to intelligence centers in Ahwazi cities, warning them against participating in any demonstrations in the coming weeks as Ahwazis commemorate the centennial of the occupation.

Most of those summoned are from Ahwaz City, Ma’shour, Mohammara, Falahiyeh, Sous, Khour Mousa, Hormoz, Bushehr, the port city of Jumbroun, Izeh, Tustar, and Karoun.

Medical sources have reported that dozens of detained Ahwazis are facing dire conditions in detention centers and Sheiban Prison, where they are deprived of medical and healthcare services.

The arrest of these Ahwazi citizens comes after dozens of others were detained at the end of December and subjected to severe psychological and emotional torture in security detention centers, particularly in the Revolutionary Guard’s Intelligence Detention Facility (News Headquarters 114).

Most prisoners suffer from bone pain, and their overall health condition is extremely poor. Bathrooms and toilets are unusable, increasing the risk of skin diseases among detainees.

Additionally, detainees face inadequate healthcare, malfunctioning heating systems, and serious threats to their lives due to brutal torture at the hands of the Revolutionary Guard militias.