Some Iranian prisoners facing execution reportedly sew lips shut amid hunger strike

Over 1,500 death row inmates at Ghezel Hesar prison in Karaj, Iran, have reportedly been on a hunger strike for two weeks, with some sewing their lips shut, to protest executions. The strike began after six inmates were transferred to solitary confinement ahead of their presumed execution. The prisoners, facing charges related to anti-government protests and drug offenses, released a statement saying, "Where else in the world is a human life taken for a first mistake?" Iran has increased executions recently, with over 424 reported this year by Iran Human Rights (IHR). Amnesty International condemned recent hangings as an "escalation" in the use of the death penalty to suppress dissent.