At least 1,500 death row prisoners at Ghezel Hesar prison near Tehran began a mass hunger strike on July 22, 2026, protesting a surge in executions. Some inmates have sewn their lips shut to demand an end to the death penalty after six men convicted of drug offenses were moved to solitary confinement.
The protest at Iran’s largest jail represents a desperate escalation in a prisoner-led campaign against the death penalty that first gained momentum in January 2024. According to Theguardian, the current strike was triggered by the transfer of six men on drug-related charges to solitary confinement, a move often preceding execution.
Ghezel Hesar: Sewing Lips and Denied Medical Care
The imagery emerging from Ghezel Hesar is stark. In videos shared by rights groups, prisoners are seen holding No to Executions
placards and chanting Be our voice
. One graphic video shows a prisoner explaining that he is sewing his lips shut because prison officials failed to respond to the protest six days into the strike; the footage then shows another prisoner using a needle and thread to stitch the man’s lips together.
The physical toll is mounting. Reports from ir.voanews.com indicate that by August 5, the strike had passed its 15th day, with inmates suffering from severe weakness, drops in blood pressure, dizziness, and weight loss. Some prisoners have reportedly lost the ability to perform daily activities.
Prison authorities have allegedly blocked access to medical help. radiofarda.com reported that guards refused to transfer unconscious prisoners to the infirmary, with footage showing inmates holding unconscious peers in front of closed unit doors. This mirrors a pattern of negligence; Mojahedin reports that authorities have denied striking inmates necessary medical attention while simultaneously transferring approximately 140 non-death-row prisoners out of Unit 2 on July 26 to isolate the strikers.
The ‘No to Executions Tuesdays’ Network
The Ghezel Hesar strike is not an isolated event but is linked to a broader coordinated effort. On July 28, 2026, political prisoners across 59 prisons nationwide held the 131st week of the No to Executions Tuesdays
hunger strike.
The campaign’s latest statement confirmed at least 303 executions since the start of the Persian calendar year in late March 2026. The group highlighted the secret hanging of political prisoner Mehdi Khanaki and issued warnings regarding newly issued death sentences for others, including 22-year-old accounting student Amir Hassan Akbari-Monfared and 37-year-old Baluch laborer Isa Chari, both charged with affiliation with the PMOI.
Contradicting Accounts of the Strike’s Legitimacy
While international rights groups describe a humanitarian crisis, Iranian state-aligned media presents a different narrative. mehrnews.com characterized the protest as a show
orchestrated by professional drug traffickers. The outlet claimed that the 1,500-person count is a lie and that CCTV footage shows inmates continuing to buy food from the prison buffet, using their wealth from drug sales to avoid the hunger strike.
This conflict in reporting highlights the divide in how the prisoners are perceived: as victims of an unfair judicial system or as dangerous criminals attempting to manipulate public opinion.
British Detainees and the Stakes of Starvation
The danger of prolonged fasting is exemplified by the case of British citizens Lindsay and Craig Foreman, both 53, held in Evin prison. As of late May 2026, the couple had been detained for over 500 days on espionage charges they deny. By June, Craig had entered his third week of hunger striking, while later reports indicated the couple had reached 55 and 46 days respectively.
The Foremans’ situation underscores the physiological and psychological desperation of such protests. Richard Ratcliffe, who previously conducted a 21-day strike to secure his wife’s freedom, described the experience as a transition from determination to a state of being almost completely unpersuadable
.
“I think every hunger strike is an act of desperation. When you start, you often don’t know what it entails, or the impact it will have inside your body as well as on the outside world. You normally just start, because there is nothing else left.”
Richard Ratcliffe, via Mirror
The Foremans have reportedly survived on water with small amounts of milk and honey.
The Political Cost of Executions
The surge in executions appears tied to broader geopolitical tensions. Theguardian reports a spike in the use of the death penalty amid conflict with the US. One source in Tehran observed that the regime often becomes more savage
when the immediate threat of foreign military action lifts, citing a prisoner executed on April 6—the same day the US and Iran agreed to a ceasefire.
The prisoners at Ghezel Hesar are attempting to increase the political cost
of these executions by drawing international attention. Their current desperation is compounded by broken promises; during a previous strike in October 2025, authorities promised to halt drug-related executions and review cases. Inmates now claim those promises were never fulfilled, as solitary transfers and executions have resumed.
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