Prisoners at Iran’s largest jail sew lips shut in hunger strike as executions soar

At least 1,500 death row prisoners at Iran's largest prison, Ghezel Hesar, near Tehran, have joined a mass hunger strike, with some sewing their lips shut. The protest began two weeks ago after six men convicted on drug-related charges were transferred to solitary confinement ahead of possible execution, according to Iranian rights groups.

Videos shared by exile-based rights groups show prisoners sitting in a prison hallway holding placards reading “No to Executions” and chanting “Be our voice.” In one graphic video, a prisoner addresses the camera to say he is sewing his lips shut because, six days into the strike, no prison official has responded. The footage then shows another prisoner using a needle and thread to stitch his lips. In another video, a prisoner calls for urgent medical help for those deteriorating, saying guards won't open the door to take them to the infirmary.

This protest is the latest act of defiance in a prisoner-led campaign against executions that began in January 2024 and has spread across Iranian prisons amid a sharp rise in the use of the death penalty. According to the Oslo-based non-profit Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO), at least 424 executions have been carried out this year, with hundreds more on death row. Most executions were for drug-related offences.

Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of IHRNGO, said people sentenced to death for drug crimes are among the most marginalized and voiceless prisoners on death row. “They have become the lowest-cost victims of the Islamic Republic’s execution machine. Last year alone, at least 795 people were hanged on drug-related charges, with almost no international reaction. By staging this protest, the prisoners in Ghezel Hesar are taking an extraordinary risk. They know the authorities can execute them at any moment, yet they have chosen to raise their voices in hopes the international community will finally hear them and increase the political cost of these executions,” he said.

A similar protest at the same prison in October 2025 saw more than 1,500 prisoners on a six-day hunger strike, leading to a rare visit by authorities. But activists say conditions have not improved since, and executions continue after unfair trials for drug offences.

The current hunger strike follows a huge spike in executions this year amid the war with the US. Families of those on death row and rights groups have raised the alarm over the worsening human rights crisis. Many death sentences have been issued based on confessions extracted under torture, Amiry-Moghaddam said. “The Islamic Republic has no legitimate justification for using the death penalty for drug offences. It is not required by Islam, and the authorities themselves have repeatedly acknowledged that executions have failed to deter drug trafficking or drug use. On the contrary, both have continued to rise over the years,” he added.