Overview
- Rights organisations report that about two weeks after six men convicted on drug charges were moved to solitary, more than 1,500 death-row inmates in Unit 2 of Ghezel Hesar began a hunger strike that has entered its second week.
- Smuggled video circulated by rights groups appears to show prisoners stitching each other’s lips shut, holding placards that read “No to Executions,” and calling for medical help as some detainees’ health worsens.
- The Committee for the Support of Human Rights in Iran and other monitors allege prison authorities have transferred hundreds of inmates between units, a move families say could be intended to break or isolate the protest.
- Norway-based Iran Human Rights says at least 424 executions have been carried out in Iran so far this year with many linked to drug offences, and reporting shows recent hangings have included people tied to the January protests.
- The United Nations’ human-rights office and rights groups have called for a moratorium and fair-trial guarantees, while restricted access inside prisons limits independent verification and raises concern for those at imminent risk.