Three political prisoners in Evin Prison condemned the increase in executions and arrests in a statement released from inside the prison. The signatories of the statement—Abolfazl Qadiani, Reza Vali-Zadeh, and Mohammad Najafi—say the Islamic Republic uses war as a cover to intensify domestic repression and carry out executions, and they described these actions as an attempt to instill fear in society.

The statement also criticized what it called “mass executions,” “show trials,” and a “systematized repression project.”

The signatories warned that, in their view, the increase in executions and repression cannot lead to the security and legitimacy of the government, and they called for an end to this process.