Prisoners who are sentenced to death at Iran's Ghezel Hesar hold up protest signs on July 16 as part of their hunger strike.
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.
