‘Last Breath’: The campaign giving Iran’s condemned a face and a name
This year, more than 950 people have been executed in Iran, including at least 29 people arrested in connection with January’s protests. Months later, scores are still at risk of execution.
In Iran, the disappearance of mass demonstrations from the streets does not signal an end to the regime's crackdown. Since the beginning of the year, over 950 people have been executed, including at least 29 arrested in connection with the January protests that left thousands dead. Despite this, scores of those detained remain at risk of execution.
A new campaign, called "Last Breath" (akharin nafas in Persian), is gaining traction among Iranian opposition activists. The campaign's goal is to give a face and a name to those condemned to death by sharing their stories and photographs on social media. This approach aims to humanize the victims and prevent them from being reduced to mere statistics.
The campaign urges supporters to call, send emails, publish prisoners' photographs and names, and demand action from those contacted. One post in the campaign stated, "They breathe behind prison walls, not knowing which sunrise will be their last." This juxtaposition of hope and fear is central to the campaign's message.
The campaign has spread beyond Persian, with posts appearing in English, French, and German. Iranian-French chess grandmaster Mitra Hejazipour used the hashtag to describe kickboxing champion Benyamin Naghdi as someone who "must live," emphasizing the campaign's aim to internationalize individual cases. Another prominent case is that of Taraneh Rahimi, a 20-year-old woman sentenced to death following her arrest during the January protests.
Rahimi and her twin sister were subjected to severe abuse in detention, and Taraneh has been waiting under a death sentence for months. The campaign's simplicity lies in its ability to make the public understand that the person in the photograph is at imminent risk of execution.
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