In October 2025, Ghezel Hessar Prison in Karaj became the center of one of the most significant acts of collective protest by prisoners in recent Iranian history. Over fifteen hundred inmates in Unit 2 began a hunger strike on October 11, 2025 (20 Mehr 1404) to protest the widespread and arbitrary use of the death penalty in Iran. The strike, initiated by prisoners sentenced to death, quickly spread throughout the facility and drew national and international attention. It symbolized the growing despair among those facing execution and the continuing collapse of justice and due process in Iran. Yet, despite the odds, it also succeeded in extracting a private concession from Iranian authorities to impose a moratorium on drug-related executions and pass a law reducing sentences. While there are significant reasons to doubt the follow through of Iranian authorities, it is a notable achievement from a group of desperate protesters.

 

Ghezel Hessar Prison, located west of Tehran, is among the largest and most notorious prisons in the country. It has long been synonymous with overcrowding, torture, and secret mass executions. Iran remains one of the world’s top perpetrators of capital punishment, carrying out hundreds of executions each year, many against individuals convicted of non-violent drug offenses or under vague charges often lacking fair trial standards.

 

The hunger strike began after at least sixteen prisoners were transferred to solitary confinement for imminent execution. In response, hundreds of inmates refused food and declared their action a protest against a machinery of death and injustice. Their voices, smuggled through brief messages and video recordings, revealed their desperation. One prisoner stated that they sought only a one-degree reduction in their sentences and pleaded with judicial authorities to hear their cries and stop the executions. Authorities attempted to silence their appeals. According to BBC Persian, on October 14 (23 Mehr) prison officials activated signal jammers to prevent communication with the outside world. Reports confirmed that water supplies in Unit 2 were cut off, leaving prisoners in dangerous and unsanitary conditions. Several inmates collapsed from hunger and dehydration, yet no medical aid was provided.

 

During the hunger strike, a letter titled “The Testament of Ghezel Hessar Prisoners” spread widely on social media. Written collectively by those on death row, the letter appealed to the conscience of the Iranian people:

 

“Dear people of our country, friends and loved ones, we are alive now but awaiting death. We need you today, not when you come to our graves.”

 

They urged citizens to stand with them while they were still alive and to reject silence in the face of injustice. The text became a symbol of courage and solidarity for many, echoing far beyond the prison walls.

 

Outside the prison, families of those sentenced to death held peaceful demonstrations in solidarity with the hunger strikers. On October 18 (27 Mehr), dozens of family members gathered in front of the Iranian Parliament, holding photographs of their loved ones and banners reading “Life is a Right” and “Stop the Executions.” They chanted “No to Execution” and “Don’t Execute” as a plea for humanity. The protest was met with force, as police and security officers attacked the demonstrators with batons, injuring several and making multiple arrests. Witnesses reported that passing drivers honked their horns and shouted in support of the families, while others called out, “Let them protest! It’s their right!” Despite the violence, the families stood firm, refusing to abandon their call for justice.

 

After seven days of fasting, suffering, and public attention, the prisoners agreed to suspend their hunger strike when a delegation from the Judiciary and the Prison Organization arrived at Ghezel Hessar. The officials announced a temporary six-month suspension of executions for drug-related offenses and promised to consider one-degree sentence reductions in Parliament. However, during the strike itself, at least five executions were carried out, raising doubts about the sincerity of their promises. Nevertheless, this act of collective resistance remains one of the largest and most powerful demonstrations by non-political prisoners in Iran’s recent history, and led to tangible commitments, whether or not they are followed through. Previously, reforms in the Rouhani era were able to reduce the number of drug-related executions in Iran for a short period, until the Raisi administration reversed the reforms.

 

The hunger strike at Ghezel Hessar Prison embodies both desperation and defiance in the face of one of the world’s leading executioners. The prisoners’ appeal is not only for survival but for recognition of their humanity, their dignity, and their hope that Iran might one day turn away from the path of state-sanctioned executions and toward globally recognized human rights standards.

 

The National Iranian American Council (NIAC) calls on the Iranian authorities to move in compliance with its international human rights obligations, including by halting executions amid credible concerns regarding due process, torture and coerced confessions. Additional steps to guarantee the safety and health of prisoners and improve the conditions of Iranian prisons must be taken. The Iranian people’s demands for justice, dignity, and the right to life cannot be silenced through fear or repression. 

 

The hunger strike in Ghezel Hessar Prison is a cry for life from behind walls built to silence it. It is a call for justice that transcends borders and demands the conscience of the world to listen.