At least 1,500 death row inmates at Ghezel Hesar Prison, Iran’s largest detention facility near Tehran, have initiated a mass hunger strike, sewing their lips shut in protest against the country’s increasing use of capital punishment. The demonstration forms part of a broader prisoner-led campaign that began in January 2024 and has since expanded to multiple prisons across Iran.

Rights groups operating overseas have circulated video footage showing the protesters seated in a prison corridor, holding signs with slogans such as “No to Executions” while chanting “Be our voice.” These images highlight growing unrest among detainees facing execution amid a marked escalation in death sentences in recent months.

Iran has significantly stepped up its use of the death penalty in 2024, drawing widespread condemnation from human rights organizations and international observers. The prisoners’ protest underscores mounting domestic opposition to the government’s judicial policies, particularly concerning capital punishment.

The hunger strike is a rare and powerful act of resistance within Iran’s penal system, where political and criminal detainees alike have faced harsh reprisals for dissent in the past. By publicly voicing their opposition, the inmates aim to draw attention to what they describe as systemic injustice and the lack of due process in the country’s legal proceedings.

While Iranian authorities have yet to officially comment on the strike, the protests have added pressure on the judiciary and government amid ongoing scrutiny from the international community. The situation remains tense as the hunger strike continues, with no indication yet of plans by prison authorities to address the prisoners’ demands or halt executions nationwide.