Iran inmates sew lips shut in mass hunger strike at notorious US-sanctioned jail: report

More than 1,000 inmates death-row inmates held in a unit of Irans Ghezel Hesar Prison have entered a third week of a mass hunger strike to protest regime executions, with some prisoners sewing their lips shut in protest, according to reports.

The escalating demonstration at the U.S.-sanctioned Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj near Tehran, also highlights growing international concern over the Islamic Republic's reliance on capital punishment, particularly for drug-related offenses.

According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency  (HRANA), the hunger strike started on July 13, after six inmates were transferred to solitary confinement ahead of possible executions. Other Iranian human rights groups said the prisoners had been convicted of drug-related offenses.

Reports also indicate that the striking prisoners have been chanting "No to Execution" and taking extreme measures, including sewing their lips shut.

One media outlet cited a video that appeared to show an inmate speaking to the camera and saying he was going to sew his lips shut because, six days into the hunger strike, no prison official had responded to the protest.

The Guardian reported that the video also appears to show an unseen prisoner using a needle and thread to stitch the man's lips shut.

In a statement released on July 27, the exiled Iranian opposition group, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), reported that prisoners in Unit 2 of Ghezel Hesar Prison were in "deteriorating physical condition" because of the hunger strike.

"Although 15 days have passed since the start of this hunger strike, the henchmen of the regimes judiciary have given no response to the striking prisoners. Despite the prisoners deteriorating physical condition and urgent need for medical attention, prison guards have taken no measures to care for them," the organization said.

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The NCRI also said the striking prisoners urged the public, human rights organizations and international bodies to take action to halt the executions.

This marks the second major demonstration at the facility in recent months.

A similar protest occurred at Ghezel Hesar Prison in October 2025, when more than 1,500 inmates staged a six-day hunger strike, according to reports.

That demonstration ended after senior judicial and prison officials made a visit to the facility and promised to

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