Prison Hunger Strike Ends After Iran Agrees To Temporary Halt In Drug Executions

A hunger strike by hundreds of death-row prisoners at Ghezel Hesar Prison has ended after Iranian authorities met with the striking inmates and promised a temporary halt to drug-related executions at the facility, according to the Iran Human Rights organization (IHRNGO).

IHRNGO announced on July 29 that six prisoners sentenced to death in drug-related cases were transferred back from solitary confinement to the prison's general wards following the meeting. The authorities also pledged to suspend executions related to drug offenses at Ghezel Hesar for the time being.

The hunger strike began on July 12 after six death-row prisoners were transferred to solitary confinement in Unit 2 of Ghezel Hesar Prison, a section that houses around 1,500 prisoners sentenced to death in drug-related cases. The protest became a rare instance of collective action by prisoners facing execution and drew attention from rights groups and international observers.

IHRNGO Director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam welcomed the temporary halt, saying it demonstrated that authorities were capable of stopping executions when the political cost of carrying them out increased.

"The halt to executions related to drug crimes in this prison, even if temporary, shows that the government can stop carrying out these executions whenever the political cost of these executions increases," he said.

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However, Amiry-Moghaddam warned that the decision did not resolve the broader issue of executions in Iran. He said hundreds of other prisoners sentenced to death for drug-related offenses remained at imminent risk in other prisons and called for the measure to be extended nationwide as a first step toward ending executions for drug-related crimes.

Mai Sato, the UN special rapporteur on Iran, also welcomed the development, describing the outcome of the strike as "encouraging."

Writing on X, she said prisoners under government control had "spoken truth to power" and that their voices had been heard both inside Iran and abroad.

Sato called on Iranian judicial authorities to extend the Ghezel Hesar measure across the country, arguing that if officials were serious about reducing drug-related executions, the temporary suspension should become a nationwide policy until the punishment is abolished.

"An amendment to Iran’s Narcotics Law, which could reduce the number executed for drug offences -- estimated at around half of all executions carried out in Iran -- has been in the pipeline since last year and remains on the State's agenda," she wrote.

"If there is genuine will among the authorities to reduce drug-related executions, pending abolition, there is no reason this development in [Ghezel Hesar] prison cannot be extended nationwide."

IHRNGO said, citing an informed source, that the suspension of executions at Ghezel Hesar was initially planned to last only three months.

Iran's Surge In Executions

The decision comes amid growing concern over Iran's use of the death penalty. Drug-related executions make up the largest share of annual executions in the country.

IHRNGO recorded 795 drug-related executions in 2025, a 58 percent increase compared with 503 in 2024. Since the beginning of 2026, at least 136 people have reportedly been executed for drug-related offenses.

According to the latest data, 433 people in total have been executed in Iran this year, including many for their participation in the mass protests that swept the country in January.

Iranian Demonstrators Protest State Executions In Isfahan

The end of the Ghezel Hesar hunger strike also coincided with a wave of public outcry over the executions of two protesters in Isfahan.

On July 28, the death sentences of Abolfazl Sepahi Badjani and Amir Hossein Safari Hosseinabadi were carried out in connection with the January protests in the city of Isfahan.

Following the executions, videos and messages circulated on social media showing people gathering at night to protest the killings.

Political activists, prisoners, and cultural figures inside Iran condemned the executions and accused authorities of using capital punishment to increase fear and suppress dissent.

Three political prisoners held at Tehran's notorious Evin Prison -- Abolfazl Ghadiani, Reza Valizadeh, and Mohammad Najafi -- issued a statement saying the government was attempting to restore its authority through increased executions and repression.

The hunger strike's conclusion brought a temporary reprieve for prisoners at Ghezel Hesar, but rights advocates emphasized that the broader system of capital punishment in Iran remains unchanged.

They maintain the strike’s significance lies not only in the immediate suspension of executions at one prison but also in demonstrating the ability of prisoners' collective action to draw domestic and international attention to Iran's death penalty practices.