More than 1,000 inmates in Iran's Ghezel Hesar Prison have entered their third week of a mass hunger strike to protest executions, with some prisoners sewing their lips shut in protest. The strike began on July 13 after six inmates were transferred to solitary confinement ahead of possible executions, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA). The prisoners, many convicted of drug-related offenses, have been chanting "No to Execution" and taking extreme measures to draw attention to their cause.
A video cited by multiple media outlets shows an inmate speaking to the camera, stating he would sew his lips shut due to the lack of response from prison officials. The video also appears to show another prisoner stitching the man's lips shut. The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), an exiled opposition group, reported on July 27 that prisoners in Unit 2 of Ghezel Hesar Prison were in deteriorating physical condition due to the hunger strike, with no response from the regime's judiciary.
The protest highlights growing international concern over Iran's reliance on capital punishment, particularly for drug-related offenses. Ghezel Hesar Prison, located in Karaj near Tehran, is sanctioned by the U.S. The strike underscores the escalating tensions between inmates and the Iranian government over its execution policies.