The Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations has launched a campaign titled “No to Execution; Yes to the Right to Life,” calling on citizens to declare their opposition to capital punishment regardless of the charge.
In its call to action, the council wrote that no government, state, or authority holds ownership over human life and that the right to life must not be made contingent upon the decisions of rulers.
The text of the petition states: “The right to life is the most fundamental and inalienable right of every human being. For this reason, we oppose execution in all forms and under any charge, viewing it as contrary to human dignity, the right to life, and justice.”
Characterizing capital punishment as a product of state-driven vengeance, the teachers’ council noted that normalizing “state-sanctioned killing” enables rulers to position themselves as arbiters over citizens’ lives and destinies.
The call urges citizens, regardless of creed, political affiliation, ethnicity, or religion, to sign the petition in support of abolishing the death penalty and overhauling Iran’s judicial laws.
The authors of the petition also called for the implementation of rehabilitative and corrective measures in non-political cases. They emphasized that political activity, expression of beliefs, peaceful protest, and the demand for civil rights must never be criminalized.
By the time of this report’s publication, the petition had gathered over 600 signatures, with an initial goal set at 1,000.
The Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations previously endorsed the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign and the hunger strike by prisoners in Unit 2 of Ghezel Hesar Prison in a statement issued on July 22.
In that statement, the council demanded an immediate halt to all executions, the application of alternative sentences for non-political offenses, and the guarantee of fair trials for political and civil defendants.
This new call from educators comes amid an accelerated pace of executions following the onset of joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. Judicial authorities have executed dozens of individuals on charges such as “espionage,” “cooperation with hostile states,” and “acting against national security.”
According to Amnesty International’s annual report, the Islamic Republic executed at least 2,159 people, including 61 women, in 2025. This figure represents more than double the number recorded in 2024 and marks the highest annual execution total recorded for Iran since 1981.