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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Deepa Parent

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

Iranian prisoners on hunger strike
Screengrab from a video shared by human rights groups showing Iranian prisoners on hunger strike at Ghezel Hesar. Photograph: Instagram

Prisoners at Iran’s largest jail have sewn their lips shut as hundreds of them joined a mass hunger strike amid a surge in executions over drug offences and charges linked to anti-government protests.

The hunger strike, involving at least 1,500 death row prisoners at Ghezel Hesar prison near Tehran, began two weeks ago after six men convicted on drug-related charges were transferred to solitary confinement before their possible execution, according to Iranian rights groups.

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