Iranian prisoners sew lips shut in hunger strike over executions

Videos shared by exiled rights groups show prisoners holding placards and chanting for their voices to be heard. In one video, a prisoner addresses the camera before having his lips stitched closed due to the lack of response from prison officials after six days of hunger striking. Another video calls for urgent medical assistance for deteriorating conditions, with guards reportedly denying access to the prison infirmary.

This protest is the latest in a series of prisoner-led actions against executions, which have escalated since January 2024. According to Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO), at least 424 executions have occurred this year, with hundreds more awaiting their sentences. The majority of these were for drug-related charges. On Tuesday, two men convicted of "waging war on God" were executed, bringing the total for charges linked to the January protests to 26 this year.

Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of IHRNGO, described those sentenced for drug offenses as the most marginalized and voiceless on death row, calling them "the lowest-cost victims of the Islamic Republic’s execution machine." He highlighted that last year, 795 people were executed for drug offenses with minimal international or domestic outcry. Amiry-Moghaddam emphasized the extraordinary risk these prisoners are taking, hoping to draw international attention and increase the political cost of these executions.

Amnesty International has stated that Iran's revolutionary courts, which handle national security and drug offenses, lack independence and frequently impose death sentences after unfair trials. One protester conveyed that many turned to offenses to afford basic necessities and deeply regret their actions, questioning the severity of punishment for a first mistake.

A similar protest involving over 1,500 prisoners occurred at the same jail in October 2025, leading to a rare visit by authorities, though activists claim conditions and execution rates have not improved. Human rights lawyer Moein Khazaeli noted that defendants often lack legal representation and that charges can be fabricated, particularly against individuals from ethnic minority or poor backgrounds, deeming death sentences from revolutionary courts a violation of human rights and Iranian law.

The current strike follows a sharp rise in executions amid ongoing tensions, with families and rights groups raising alarms about the worsening human rights situation. Amiry-Moghaddam asserted that the death penalty for drug offenses is not justified by Islam and has failed to deter drug trafficking or use, with most convicted individuals being low-ranking couriers driven by poverty, often convicted based on coerced confessions.