HRANA Recap: This Week’s Protests in Iran

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, a number of protests took place this week against the results of cities’ local elections and inadequate labor conditions. This week also featured the continuation of widespread labor strikes across the country. The oil industry, petrochemical industry and power stations experienced strikes in Abadan, Isfahan, Assaluyeh, Kerman, Qeshm Island, Yasuj, Bid Boland, and Urmia and Bushehr. Below is a brief recap and footage from some of the week’s demonstrations.

 

Saturday and Sunday, June 19-20

Several citizens in Yasuj protested the results of the city’s local elections in front of the Boyer-Ahmad government building.  A group of Tehran Metro staff held protest rallies in front of the metro operating company in Tehran. Project workers of Farab Company of Bidkhoon refinery in Assaluyeh went on strike and left their jobs.

 

Citizens in Yasuj:

 

Tehran Metro staff:

 

Project workers in Bidkhoon refinery in Assaluyeh:

 

Monday and Tuesday, June 21-22

9 protest rallies and 11 workers’ strikes took place. A group of pharmacists in front of the Ministry of Health building in Tehran. Workers of Pars Tire in Saveh in Markazi Province rallied in front of the local factory. Workers of Sepahan Cement Company protested at their workplace, and a group of resident doctors in protested in the cities of Tehran, Urmia, Zanjan, Babol, Shiraz and Tabriz. Workers in Tehran Oil Refinery, Gachsaran Petrochemical Company, phases 13 and 14 of Assaluyeh, phase 13 of Kangan, Lidoma Company located in phase 13 of South Pars, AJC Company working in Abadan Refinery, Bidboland Refinery of Behbahan, Bushehr Petrochemical Company, Sina Palayesh Company Qeshm Island, and workers of Tehran Metro Line 5 went on strike.

 

Workers of Bidboland Gas Refinery in Behbahan:

 

 

Workers of Gachsaran Petrochemical Company:

 

Workers of Tehran Oil Refinery:

 

Workers of Lidoma Company located in phase 13 of South Pars:

 

Pharmacists in Tehran:

 

Resident doctors in Tehran, Urmia, Zanjan, Babol, Shiraz and Tabriz:

Pars Tire workers:

 

Wednesday, June 23

Workers of recently-closed stoning units of Hana Industrial Town located in Neyriz city in Fars gathered in front of the city government building. A group of employees of Ramin power station in Ahvaz city in front of the office building of the station, and a group of employees of Abadan refinery in front of the entrance door.

 

Ramin power station workers in Ahvaz:

Abadan refinery employees:

 

Thursday, June 24

Several residents of Maravneh village of Ahvaz city,  workers of Mapna 3 Qeshm power Station continued their participation in the nationwide protests of the workers of the country’s oil industry.

 

Mapna 3 power Station employees:

Residents of Maravneh village:

 

Friday, June 25

Workers of refineries, petrochemicals and power plants, workers of Yazd Steel, went on strike.

Labor Activist Gharib Havizavi Arrested by Security Forces in Ahvaz

On Tuesday, June 22, Gharib Havizavi, a labor activist and recently-fired employee of the Khuzestan Steel Company, was arrested by security forces in Ahvaz and taken to an unknown location.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, the Khuzestan Steel Company security officer had blocked Mr. Havizavi from entering the building in April while he was still employed.

On June 12, in a hearing that was held at the Ahvaz Labor Office to process his appeal for returning to work, Havizavi was fired from the company by order of the employer’s legal representative.

Havizavi has a history of being summoned and detained by security forces. The report does not specify Havizavi’s location or the charges against him.

HRANA Recap: This Week’s Protests in Iran

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, a number of protests took place in different parts of the country this week. Below is a quick recap and footage from the demonstrations.

 

Saturday, June 12

On Saturday, June 12, a group of rice farmers in Khuzestan rallied in front of the governor’s office. In Tehran, retired drivers of the Tehran Bus Company gathered in front of the company’s headquarters. Contract workers of the maintenance unit for Tehran Metro Line 5 held a rally in front of Hashtgerd metro station, a group of shareholders of Cryptoland Exchange who lost money to the company rallied in front of the Economic Crimes Court building, and family members of SMA patients gathered in front of the Ministry of Health building.

Rice farmers in Khuzestan:

 

Retired bus drivers in Tehran:

Workers of the maintenance unit for Tehran Metro:

Shareholders of Cryptoland Exchange:

 

Sunday, June 13

On Sunday, June 13, a group of shopkeepers in Gachsaran in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province gathered in front of the governor’s office. A group of veterans who were injured during the Iran-Iraq war rallied in front of the Martyr Foundation building in Tehran, several drivers and workers of the Tehran Bus Company heled a rally in front of the city council building, and Cryptoland exchange shareholders gathered in front of the Economic Crimes court building again.

Shopkeepers in Gachsaran:

Injured Iraq-Iran war Veterans:

 

Bus drivers in Tehran:

Shareholders of Cryptoland Exchange:

 

Monday, June 14

On Monday, Several fishermen in Kharg city of Kharg Island gathered in front of the border checkpoint. A group of workers of Tehran Jonoob company protested in Mahshahr in Khuzestan Province.  Landowners in the new city of Pardis, rice farmers in Khuzestan Province, and fired workers of Khuzestan Pipe Industrial Company also held rallies.

Fishermen in Kharg island:

 

Workers of Tehran Jonoob company in Mahshahr:

 

Landowners in the new city of Pardis:

 

Tuesday, June 15

A group of delivery motorcyclists in Laleh Park in Tehran, and a group of families of Bafgh phosphate mine workers in the conference hall of Ahanshahr town held protest rallies.

Delivery motorcyclist in Laleh Park in Tehran:

Wednesday, June 16

The staff of Telecommunication Company of Khuzestan in the cities of Shushtar, Masjed Soleiman, and Ahvaz gathered in front of their cities’ Telecommunication Offices. Shareholders of the “Mashhad Mall” project rallied in front of the building of Ayandeh Bank in Mashhad. Workers of Tehran Jonoob Company held protest rallies for the third day in a row in Mahshahr.

 

Protest of staff of Telecommunication Company in Khuzestan:

Shareholders of Cryptoland Exchange:

 

Workers’ protest in Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Industry:

 

Protest of workers in Mashhad Mall project:

 

Nearly 600 Villages in South Khorasan Province are not Connected to a Sustained Water Supply Network

Manouchehr Salari, deputy director of Water and Wastewater and Development in the South Khorasan Province, estimated that 145 villages, each with more than 20 households, need a water supply.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Saliri stated that 592 villages in the province are deprived of a connection to the sustained water supply network.

Hossein Emami, CEO of South Khorasan Water and Wastewater Company in Southern Khorasan Province, commented on the non-allocation of 500 billion Tomans (22 million USD) for the project to complete 37 water supply complexes in the province.

“The funding for sustainable water supply for villages with more than 20 households has not been met,” Emani said. “Due to delays in receiving funds we will face delays in the water supply to villages.”

HRANA Recap: This Week’s Protests in Iran

Sunday, June 6

 

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting the Workers’ union, on June 6, workers of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Industry went on strike for the fifth day in a row to protest the non-payment of their wages for the past two months and the detention of three of their colleagues.

 

Monday, June 7

 

On Monday,  group of workers of Kut Abdullah Municipality protested wage arrears in front of Karun city court. Several Haft Tappeh sugarcane workers gathered in front of Shush city governor’s building. Shareholders of Cryptoland exchange protested in front of Economic Crimes Court building in Tehran. Teachers of Izeh primary schools protested in front of the Khuzestan governor’s office in Ahvaz. A group of residents of Mansoureh village of Shadegan district gathered in front of the city governor building in protest of frequent water shortages. Ahvas ABFA workers held rallies in front of the office building of the General Administration of Water Supply and Sewerage of Khuzestan.

 

Kut Abdullah Municipality workers:

Crypto-land exchange shareholders:

 

Haft Tappeh sugarcane workers in Shush:

 

Izeh primary school teachers:

 

 

Mansoureh villagers in Shadegan:

 

Tuesday, June 8

 

This Tuesday, several owners of addiction clinics and associations (rehabs) protested in front of the Food and Drug Administration in Tehran. Members of the Islamic Labor Council of the Bus Company rallied in front of Tehran City Council. A group of shareholders of crypto exchange protested for the second day in a row in front of the Economic Crimes Court in Tehran. Teachers from non-governmental schools and remote education schools protested in front of the Islamic Consultative Assembly in Tehran, and a number of Khuzestan rice farmers protested in front of the Khuzestan governor’s office in Ahvaz.

 

Addiction clinic and rehabilitation center owners:

 

 

 

Islamic Labor Council of the Bus Company members:

 

Shareholders of crypto-land exchange:

 

Teachers from non-governmental schools and remote education:


 

Khuzestan farmers:

 

 

Wednesday, June 9

 

A group of workers from the Ahvaz Pipe Company in front of the governor’s office, several Stalak landowners of the new town of Pardis stationed in front of the Judiciary building in Tehran, and a group of health stations workers in front of the Ministry of Health building in Tehran all held protest rallies this Wednesday.

 

Ahvaz Pipe Company workers:

 

Stalak landowners:

 

Health station workers:

Thursday, June 10

 

According to HRANA, quoting Asr-e-Jonub News, a group of farmers from the Shavur section of Karkheh city gathered this Thursday to protest the ban on summer planting.

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Labor Activist Maziar Seyednejad Transferred to IRGC Detention Center in Evin Prison

On Monday, June 7, labor activist Maziar Seyednejad was arrested by security forces at his private home in Tehran.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Seyednejad is currently being held in solitary confinement in the Ministry of Intelligence Detention Center in Ward 209 of Evin Prison.

Recently, the labor activist’s 3 year sentence was confirmed by the Court of Appeals in the Khuzestan Province.

Seyednejad has not, as of yet, been allowed access to a lawyer.

Esmail Gerami Sentenced to Imprisonment, Flogging, and Fines

Labor activist Esmail Gerami was sentenced to imprisonment, flogging, and a fine by Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company (SWTSBC), Gerami has been sentenced to 5 years in prison, 74 lashes, and a fine almost equal to $100 on charges of “gathering and colluding with intent to commit a crime against national security”.

On May 10, the interrogation session of Esmail Gerami’s case was held in the second branch of the Evin interrogation office on charges such as “disturbing public order” and “participating in an illegal gathering”.

Iran is one of the few countries that still uses humiliating punishments, despite the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights’ explicit prohibition of the use of inhumane and degrading punishments such as flogging.

The labor activist was arrested on April 10 by security forces and then transferred to the Greater Tehran Prison, where he currently resides.

Nine Sweeper Workers of Ahvaz Municipality were Arrested After Protest

In recent days, 9 workers in District 3 of Ahvaz Municipality were arrested by police following a strike .

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Asr-e-Junub News, the protest was over the workers’ not having received their job benefits.

The mayor of District 3 of Ahvaz expressed he was not informed about the detention of these workers, adding that “The municipality deals with a third-party contractor, not the workers, and the contractor has been paid”.

As of this writing, two of the nine workers, Davoodi and Mansouri, are still in custody.

Heydar Ghorbani Sentenced to 11 Years in Prison

Labor activist Heydar Ghorbani was sentenced to 11 years in prison by the Second Branch of the Revolutionary Court of Shahriar County.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting The Free Union of Iranian Workers, Ghorbani is from Kamyaran in Kurdistan Province.

Ghorbani is a construction worker and a member of the Free Trade Union of Iran.

According to the report, the labor activist was sentenced on charges of “membership in a group or population or a branch of a population formed within the country to disrupt the security of the country” and “propaganda against the Islamic Republic”.

 

HRANA Recap: This Week’s Protests in Iran

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, a number of protests took place in different parts of the country this week. Below is a quick recap and footage from the demonstrations.

 

Saturday, May 29

 

On Saturday, May 29, A group of farmers in Ahvaz city held a rally in front of the Khuzestan governor’s building near the Salman water supply canal to protest water shortages. Teachers of Green Result-Letter rallied in front of the Ministry of Education building in Tehran. Staff of Imam Khomeini Hospital in Karaj gathered after receiving inaccurate salary payments in the hospital area. Izeh preschool teachers rallied in the city’s education building and protested uncertainty over their employment status. Persian Gulf Holding staff protested in front of the gate of the special Mahshahr site. Protestors called on their demands to be addressed.

 

Farmers in Ahvaz city and rural areas:

 

 

Teachers of Green Result-Letter:

 

 

Staff of Imam Khomeini Hospital:

 

 

Izeh preschool teachers:

 

 

Workers from the Persian Gulf Holding:

 

 

Sunday, May 30

 

On June 30, farmers from different villages of Ahvaz city held a rally for the second consecutive day in front of the Khuzestan governor’s building. Retirees of Khuzestan Steel Company held rallies in several cities including Tehran, Ahvaz, Isfahan, and Rudbar in front of their cities’ Civil Servants Pension Fund buildings. A group of teachers and staff of non-profit schools from different cities gathered in front of the Islamic Consultative Assembly building in Tehran, in front of the Education Department in Isfahan. Several professors at Azad University in Ahvaz, Shiraz, and Isfahan rallied in front of the campus buildings of their towns. Several fired workers of Mahshahr Petroleum Products Distribution Company gathered in front of the entrance of the oil depot of this city. Bankrupted investors in Caspian Financial Institution rallied in front of the Judiciary building in Tehran. Villagers of Bloband from the Kharqan section of Zarandieh city in Markazi Province held rallies as well.

 

Farmers from different villages of Ahvaz:

 

 

Retirees of Khuzestan Steel Company:

 

 

Tehran

 

 

Khuzestan province

 

 

Teachers and staff of non-profit schools in Tehran and Isfahan:

 

 

Azad University Protesters:

 

Ahvaz

 

Shiraz

 

 

Isfahan

 

 

 

Fired workers of Mahshahr Petroleum Products Distribution:

 

 

Bankrupted investors in Caspian Financial Institution:

 

 

Monday, May 31

 

Several employees of the Persian Gulf Holding Oil protested in front of Mahshahr Petrochemical Site 4. A group of teachers rallied in front of the Islamic Consultative Assembly building in Tehran. Service staff of the National Iranian Drilling Camp protested in Ahvaz. Staff of Imam Hospital Khomeini protested in Karaj. A group of temporarily employed staff of Mahshahr Petrochemical Special Zone and Bandar Imam held rallies.

 

Employees of the Persian Gulf Holding Oil:

 

 

Temporary employees of Mahshahr Petrochemical:

 

Service staff of the National Iranian Drilling Camp in Ahvaz:

 

Staff at Imam Khomeini Hospital in Karaj:

 

 

Tuesday, June 1

 

A group of Haft Tappeh Sugar Cane workers protested in front of the management office complex. A group of landowners in the new city of Pardis gathered in front of the Judiciary building, several of whom lost money to the Mehr View Housing project in Tabriz, at the project’s site.  Masjed-e-Soleiman ranchers who lost their livestock to sewage water pollution of Masjed Soleiman Petrochemical protested the devastating oversight.  A group of bus drivers in the bus terminal of Shiraz held protest rallies and called on their demands to be addressed.

 

Landowners in the new city of Pardis:

 

 

Masjed-e-Soleiman ranchers:

 

 

Mehr View Housing project:

 

 

Bus drivers in Shiraz:

 

 

Wednesday, June 2

 

Workers of Haft Tappeh Sugar Cane gathered in front of the complex’s management building for the second day in a row and protested. A group of Ahwaz Water and Wastewater personnel rallied in front of the company’s building.

 

Workers of Haft Tappeh Sugar Cane (Day 2) :

 

 

Thursday, June 3

 

Workers of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Cane, who say they have not yet received their salaries for the past two months, rallied for the third day in a row in the company’s yard. Police responded violently to the demonstration. In Tehran, BRT bus drivers  rallied to call on their demands to be addressed.

 

Workers of Haft Tappeh Sugar Cane (Day 3):