According to information received by HANA Human Rights Organization, the hunger strike by death row prisoners in Unit 2 of Qezel Hesar Prison ended on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, after sixteen days, following the acceptance of some of their demands.
In a meeting between prisoner representatives and judicial and prison officials, it was agreed that executions in the unit would be halted until Iran’s anti-narcotics law is reformed, that the six prisoners moved to solitary confinement would return to the general ward, and that the cases of all death row prisoners would be reviewed within six months.
The prisoners have said ending the strike does not mean giving up on their demands, and that they will continue to press officials to follow through on these commitments. The halt announced is temporary in nature, and until the sentences are formally reversed or commuted, the risk of executions being carried out remains very real.
HANA stresses that Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights enshrines the right to life as a fundamental principle, and permits states that have not yet abolished the death penalty to resort to it only as an exception, within the narrowest possible limits, for the most serious crimes. Drug offenses that do not involve intentional killing fall outside this category. Judicial authorities must therefore halt these executions permanently and review the prisoners’ cases with full respect for fair trial guarantees.