Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); 13 July 2026: Prisoners in Unit 2 have staged a mass hunger strike in Ghezelhesar Prison to stop the executions of six drug defendants who have been transferred to the pre-execution cells.
According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, at least six men were transferred to solitary confinement on 13 July in preparation for their executions in Ghezelhesar Prison. The men who are all on death row for drug-related offences, are at imminent risk of execution.
An informed source told IHRNGO: “After the six men were transferred from Unit 2 for execution, all the prisoners in the unit staged a hunger strike.”
This collective action mirrors the historic protest of October 2025, when more than 1,500 drug death row defendants in Ward 2 of Ghezelhesar Prison staged a mass six-day strike, sewing their lips shut to demand an end to executions. Supported by families demonstrating outside parliament, the prisoners successfully pressured authorities to halt drug-related executions pending legislative amendments. Since the October 2025 strike, IHRNGO has recorded the secret execution of one individual, Alireza Ahmadi, for drug offences at the prison.