Iran’s judicial system has become a focal point of global condemnation as death row prisoners, including members of the Iranian dissident group Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK), have launched a hunger strike to protest the regime’s unprecedented use of capital punishment. The Islamic Republic’s execution rate has surpassed 1,000 since the start of the year, with as many as nine executions taking place daily, according to the United Nations. This has prompted outrage from international human rights organizations, which have criticized the Iranian government’s handling of death penalty cases.
The hunger strike, which began on October 13, involves 1,500 prisoners in Ward 2 of Ghezel Hesar Prison. The protesters are demanding the abolition of the death penalty and greater rights for those accused of capital crimes. The strike has since spread to Wards 1 and 4 in the same facility, as well as the notorious Evin Prison. Prison officials have reportedly attempted to suppress the strike, with footage circulating online showing prisoners in Ward 3 consuming food to falsely claim that there is no hunger strike among their peers.
Iran’s government faces mounting pressure from both domestic and international actors. The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) has called on the United Nations, the U.N. Security Council, and the European Union to intervene and halt what it describes as the Iranian government’s