HRANA Recap: This Week’s Protests in Iran

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, many protests and rallies took place this week in Iran. Read our recap below for details, photos, and videos from the demonstrations

Saturday, May 14

In Qahdarijan City, Isfahan Province, a group of farmers gathered in a city square to demand their denied irrigation water portions.

A number of laid-off workers of Ramin Power Plant gathered before the entrance of this power plant in Ahvaz for the ninth consecutive day. They asked for prioritizing native labor forces in recruitments.

A number of workers of the Ahvaz and Kharq Oil Companies, who have temporary job contracts, gathered and protested in Ahvaz. They said that the 10 per cent increase in wage is less than the minimum wage enacted by the Ministry of Labor.

Sunday, May 15

Dozens of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) drivers walked off the job on strike and protested before Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company in Tehran. The workers asked for a wage increase in accordance with the enactment of the Supreme Labor Council.

Monday, May 16

The workers of BRT drivers continued their strike and gathered before the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company. They chanted slogans asking the mayor to resign.

 

 

In Tabriz, Ahvaz, Qazvin, Arak, Mashhad, Isfahan and Ilam, a number of Social Security pensioners held protests before the Social Security Organization in each city. These pensioners demanded raising their pension to stand above the poverty line, addressing the supplementary insurance issues, the end year bonuses.

 

 

 

The workers of Karoon and Maroon Oil and Gas Production Companies gathered before the National Iranian South Oil Company office in Ahvaz to ask to increase wages as much as other company personnel wages.

Tuesday, May 17

For the third consecutive day, BRT drivers walked off the job. They said a 10 per cent increase in wage is not enough and less what the Supreme Labor Council has enacted.

A number of land proprietors in the Sardasht area in Arak city gathered before the governorate building to protest uncertainties regarding the construction project of the University of Arak on their lands.

A group of individuals who have lost their money by fraudulent acts of Caspian Credit Institution in Rasht City held protests. Since 2017, their deposits have been frozen and they cannot withdraw their money.

The personnel of a heart centre hospital in Tehran gathered and protested at hospital premises. They protested against low and unpaid wages and issues regarding their pension.

Wednesday, May 18

The workers with temporary contracts who are working for the Oil and Gas Production Companies Karoon, Maroon and Aghajari gathered before the National Iranian South Oil Company in Ahvaz to demand an increase in wages as much as other company personnel wages.

Thursday, May 19

A group of land proprietors in Andisheh Town in Qazvin City gathered and protested in this town. Reportedly, after 25 years, they have not yet been granted the construction permit due to the obstructions of local authorities and a dispute on this issue between the municipality and the Police Cooperative.

In Sarpol-e Zahab County, in Kermanshah Province, a group of farmers gathered before the Ministry of Agriculture Jihad. They protested that the seeds provided by the Ministry have a poor quality.

The motorbike food delivery drivers of the Companies Snapp Food and Snapp Box gathered and protested in Karaj to demand an increase in wages following the current food price hikes.

 

Ali Kajbaf Sentenced to One Year and Six Months in Prison

On Tuesday, April 27, 2022, Branch 3 of the Revolutionary Court of Ahvaz sentenced Ali Kajbaf to one year and six months in prison. If the verdict is upheld on appeal, based on Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, one year is the maximum punishment enforceable for Kajbaf.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Ali Kajbaf, a resident of Ahvaz, was sentenced to one year and six months in prison by the Revolutionary Court.

On Tuesday, April 27, 2022, Kajbaf was notified of the verdict that he was sentenced to one year on the charge of “membership in an anti-regime group” and six months on the charge of “propaganda against the regime”. The court session was held on April 17, 2022.

According to an informed source, Kajbafwas acquitted of the charge of “assembly and collusion against national security and crossing the border illegally.”

On August 18, 2021, the Ministry of Intelligence agents arrested Kajbaf while he was leaving the country. He spent 11 days of his detention in solitary confinement in Urmia. Reportedly, during detention, the agents beat him severely which led to a bone fracture in the chest and a broken tooth.

After completing the interrogation process, Kajbaf was transferred to Sheyban Prison in Ahvaz. On November 1, 2021, he was released on bail.

Rahim Afravi Denied Leave after 22 Years Imprisonment

Political prisoner Rahim Afravi has not been allowed a single day of leave in his 22 years of imprisonment in Sheyban Prison in Ahvaz.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, he has faced serious medical neglect in this time, and suffers from heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and pulmonary problems. Afravi recently contracted COVID-19, but was not dispatched to any medical center outside prison upon receiving a positive test.

53-year-old Rahim Afravi is married and the father of two children. In June 1999, security forces arrested Afravi when he was returning home from his workplace in the outskirts of Ahvaz City. Initially, the Revolutionary Court sentenced him to death on a charge of “enmity against God” (Moharebeh) and “acting against national security”. On appeal, the verdict was reduced to 25 years imprisonment and exile to Jiroft Prison.

According to an informed source, while he was in exile jail in Jiroft, his mother passed away. Family visitations were few and far between because of the great distance between the jail and the residence place of his family. After 13 years imprisonment in exile, he was relocated to Karun and then to Sheyban prison in Ahvaz City.

In August of this year, his request for release on parole and leave on furlough was dismissed by Branch 12 of the Revolutionary Court of Ahvaz.

Three Arrested in Behbahan for Honoring 2nd Anniversary of Those Killed in November 2019 Protests

Behbahan citizens Mohsen Ghanavati, Amin Moradi, and Payam Jeyhooni were arrested by security forces.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, the first arrestee was transferred to Behbahan Prison and two others to a detention center at the disposal of the Intelligence Ministry in Ahvaz. During the arrest, security forces confiscated Mohsen Ghanavati’s cell phone, as well as his wife’s.

Mohsen Ghanavati is the brother of Mohammad-Hossein Ghanavati, who was killed in Behbahan City by regime forces during the nationwide protests of November 2019. On November 10, 2021, he was summoned to Branch 3 of the Public and Revolutionary Court in Behbahan to be indicted for charges of “offensive statements against the supreme leader of Iran and revolutionary institutions like IRGC”, “news coverage of the protests and unrest in July 2020” via his Instagram page, and “advocating anti-regime groups and calling people to assembly and protest”.

Regarding these arrests, an informed source told HRANA, “To honor the second anniversary of the victims of the 2019 protests, some citizens decided to gather at victims’ burial place. To deter this gathering, security forces either called or summoned several people and warned them about attending the gathering and threatened them not to reveal it to media.”

In August 2020, Payam Jeyhooni, 33 years old, was arrested during the protest in Behbahan City against  “the poor economic conditions” and “death sentences against those who were arrested during the protest of November 2019”. After spending a while in detention, he was released on a bail of 200 million tomans.

During the protest of November 2019 in Behbahan city, security forces used live ammunition against protestors which led to the death of several protestors including Mehrdad Dashinia, Mahmood Dashtinia, Farzad Ansarifar, Mohammad-Hossein Ghanavati and Mohammad Hashamdar.

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 in Iran, many of which were continuations of ongoing movements.  Read our recap below for details, photos, and videos from the demonstrations.

Saturday, November 6

Several workers working on the Shafa Rud dam assembled at their workplace to protest against job uncertainty and a months-long delay in payment. As one of these workers stated, they have not received wages in six months.  About 900 workers who are working on this dam have been suspended from work due to the company’s financial problems.

A group of personnel of the Islamic Azad University in Mahshahr City protested their wages
by spreading empty tablecloths as a sign of their hard livelihood conditions. One
stated that they have long been denied payment under the pretext of a funding shortage.

A group of retirees of Haft-Tappeh Complex protested in front of the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare Office in Shush city. They stated that their pension income has not been fully paid in accordance with Social Security Act.

A number of farmers in Bavi County assembled in front of the building of the company Karun-e-Bozorg, an operation and maintenance of Irrigation and Drainage Networks, to ask for their water portion for wheat cultivation. They also protested against the cut in the water supply for their gardens.

A group of workers of Kerman Coal Mining Company went on strike and assembled at their workplace to protest against assigning the stock management to the company Dalahu Tejarat. They will oppose any changes in stock management until they have taken formal employment with the company.

The workers of Iran-Khodro in Tabriz went on strike at work to demand delayed payments and benefits.

Sunday, November 7

A number of retirees and pensioners of the Khuzestan Social Security Organization protested in front of the building of the organization in Ahvaz city. They asked for levelling up pensions to stand above the poverty line, closing the disparity in pension incomes, enforcing article 96 of the Social Security Act, solving issues regarding supplementary insurance, paying end-of-year bonuses and factoring in employment history in hazardous jobs for calculating pension income.

A group of designers and supervising engineers assembled in front of the Iran Ministry of Roads & Urban Development to protest the enactment of new regulations and procedures which, as the protestors claim, would be devastating for companies in this sector.

Retirees and pensioners of Fulad Steel Company assembled in front of the company’s pension fund departments in Isfahan and Ahvaz. They asked that their pensions be raised above the poverty line, closing the disparity in pension incomes and addressing supplementary insurance issues.

A group of personnel of the Social Security Organization assembled in front of the parliament in Tehran. They demanded implementation of the Hard and Hazardous Jobs Act, which requires that military service periods and job hardship records be taken into account when raising wages.

A number of victims of the financial fraud of the cryptocurrency exchange “Cryptoland” assembled in front of the Judiciary Building and demanded their lost money.

A number of depositors who has lost their investment through Caspian institution assembled and protested in front of the building of the Central Bank in Tehran.

Monday, November 8

A number of retirees of Haft-Tappeh Company who went into a pension in 2020 assembled in front of the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor and Social welfare office in Shush city. They claimed that their pension income has been accounted for less than what the social security act requires.

In Tehran, a group of citizens who had pre-ordered cars from Ramak Khodro Company assembled in front of the Tehran Courthouse to ask for a demand accountability from the company, which has failed to deliver their cars after four years.

Dozens of citizens from Lorestan County in Fars province traveled to Tehran and assembled in front of the building of the Iran Ministry of Roads & Urban Development. They asked for maintenance of the unsafe and poor conditions of the road connecting Jahrom to Bandar-e Abbas. This road is still not two-lane, which has caused many fatal car accidents in recent weeks.

In Isfahan, a group of farmers assembled in front of the headquarter of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting. Moreover, several other farmers marched in the streets of this city. They protested against not receiving their water portion for the fall wheat crop planting.

In Tabriz, the workers of SEMET Company assembled in protest in front of the company manager’s office.

In Kerman, a number of workers of Kerman coal company assembled in front of the office of the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labour, and Social Welfare to protest against the privatization of the company.

Tuesday, November 9

Dozens of retired teachers and educators who have been on pension since 2020 assembled in front of the building of the Planning and Budget Organization in Tehran. They demanded payment of their pension bonuses. The protest turned violent by police interference.

A group of livestock farmers in the Toroq area in Mashhad assembled to protest against the demolition of several animal farms.

For the second consecutive day, in Isfahan, farmers assembled in front of the building of the Regional Water Company and marched in the streets.

Wednesday, November 10

For the third consecutive day, in Isfahan, a number of farmers assembled in the dried up stretches of the river Zayandeh-rud to ask for their water portion. In response, the member parliament Abas Moghtadai promised that to address their issue, along with other Isfahan members of parliament, he would have a meeting with the president.

A number of landowners in Astalak Pardis protested in front of the building of the Tehran Ministry of Roads & Urban Development. They claimed that their lands have been confiscated by the company Omran-Pardis.

In Khorasan province, a group of Iran-Khodro workers went on a strike to protest against forced overwork and ask for raising wages.

For the second consecutive day, to ask for addressing their work issues, a group of preschool educators assembled and spent the night in front of the building governorate building.

Thursday, November 11

In response to the call of the Coordinating Council of Iranian teacher Unions, both retired and working teachers in 67 cities across the country assembled and protested. As their most important demand, they asked for the implementation of the Ranking Income Bill, whereby the salaries of teachers should be raised to at least 80% of university board members’ salaries.

On the same day of nationwide teachers’ protest, in Isfahan, the school concierges and service workers assembled in the front of the building of the Department of Education to ask for their demands.

For the third consecutive day, in Isfahan, the farmers assembled in the dried up stretches of the river Zayandeh-rud.

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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 in Iran, many of which were continuations of ongoing movements.  Read our recap below for details, photos, and videos from the demonstrations.

 

Saturday, October 30

The workers of Abadan Petrochemical Company assembled at the company premises to demand the right to form an Islamic Workers’ Council, as the labor code allows, the adjustment of their contracts according to their job classification plans, job security, preservation of the dignity of workers and an end to punitive measures towards employees who advocate for their rights.

A number of workers of the Golnar Vegetable Oil Factory protested at the company premises.  As well as fostering a number of other internal problems, the factory employer reportedly has been announcing temporary business closure each month, and sending about 300 workers on compulsory leave.

Dozens of teachers and educators from various cities came to Tehran on Saturday and and assembled in front of Parliament. They asked for implementation of the Ranking Income Bill, whereby the salaries of teachers must be raised to at least 80% of university board members’ salaries. They also demanded the fortification of pension funds, in adherence with Civil Service Management Law.

 

In Bandar Mahshahr, the workers of Razi Petrochemical Company went on strike for several consecutive days. They assembled in front of the company headquarters and demanded bonuses and benefits, improvement in the quality of meals, implementation of the Jobs Classification Plan, and supplementary health insurance.

The concierges and service workers of schools assembled in front of Parliament in Tehran and protested poor living conditions and low wages.

A number of residents of the village Shahr-e Kohneh in Neyshabur County protested infrastructural negligence, particularly in regard to road maintenence. Residents currently have to travel a long distance to reach an unsafe underpass in order to cross the railway.



A number of residents of Mahabad City in Isfahan assembled in the dried up stretches of the river Taherabad and protested water withdrawal from this river for the usage of the Fulad Natanz factory. Moreover, reportedly, as a result of this water withdrawal a 3000-year-old Qanat has been dried up.

 

In Tehran, A number of lawyers of the judiciary assembled in front of the building of the Iran Bar Association to show their opposition to enactment of a plan whereby the issuance of some business licenses will be facilitated.

A group of specialized hospital assistants of Imam Hossein Hospital went on a strike at their workplace in protest against their poor living conditions.

About 40 workers of Kayson Company stopped working and went on a strike to ask for their demands, including the payment of wages that have been delayed by three months.

Sunday, October 31

A number of retirees and pensioners of the Iran Social Security Organization assembled in front of their local units in various cities such as Tehran, Mashhad, Ahvaz, Kermanshah, Rasht and Tabriz. They asked for a pension above the poverty line, implementation of article 96 of the Social Security Acts, closing the disparity in pension incomes, end-year bonuses and factoring in employment history in hazardous jobs when calculating pension income.

 

Service workers of Tehran Metro on Line 2 assembled to protest the three-month delay in their wages. Moreover, they have not received end of year bonuses for two years and the employer’s insurance contribution has also been delayed.

 

For a second consecutive day,  workers of the vegetable oil factory Golnar assembled at the factory premises to demand action.

“After two days of protests, no one from the company responds to us,” one of these workers stated. “Since the privatization of the factory, in recent years, there have raised many conflicts between the company and the workers including compulsory unpaid leaves, the deduction of leave from the salary, reducing in production, imposing one-month contracts and continuous two-week night work, and the most important, threatening workers to be fired.”

For the second consecutive day, a group of workers of Abadan Petrochemical Company (TAPPICO) assembled at the company premises to ask for the implementation of the Job Classification plan. They also protested against the layoffs of four fellow workers.

 

In Qazvin, the garden maintenance workers of Rojan Dasht Caspian went on strike to demand their wages, which have been delayed by 4 months.

 

Workers of Arak Machine Manufacturing Factory assembled and protested at the company premises. They demanded increased wages in accordance with inflation and real living costs.

 

A group of the retirees of Telecommunication Company of Iran assembled at premises of the building of the finance department of the company to ask for their demands.

A number of farmers from Shush and Shushtar assembled in front of their government buildings to protest rice exports outside the province.

Monday, November 1

Judiciary personnell assembled in front of the Justice building of various cities across the country including Tehran, Mashhad, Shush, Yazd, Zanjan, Farahan, Ray Shahr, Kuhrang, Neyshabur, Meybod, Gorgan, Azadshahr, Sanandaj, Ahvaz, Elam, Arak, Divandareh, Paveh, Damavand, Kasmar, Tafresh, Boroujen. They protested against poor living conditions and inattention to their demands.

A number of the workers in the lead and zinc mine in Gojar in Kerman Province assembled in front of the building of the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labour and Social welfare in Kerman to demand increased wages.

A number of workers of Kut-e Abdollah Municipality assembled in front of the building of the Islamic Council in this city. They protested unpaid wages and unpaid employers’ contributions to health insurance.

A group of citizens in Tehran assembled in front of the building of the Securities and Exchange Organization to protest capital market collapse and demanded that measures be taken to protect people’s investments.

Workers of the Razi petrochemical company went on a strike at their workplace in Bandar Mahshah. They asked for benefits and bonuses in accordance with workplace conditions, improvment in the quality of meals, implementation of the Job classification plan, and supplementary insurance.

Tuesday, November 2

A group of personnel and board members of Islamic Azad University of Shushtar City assembled on campus to protest unpaid wages.

 

The residents of the town “Poshte Bagh-e Parandgan” in Astara County assembled in front of the building of the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development office to protest against the decision to demolish a number of local residential complexes.

Personnel of the Regional Telecommunication Company of Eastern Azerbaijan Province assembled inside the company headquarters and in front of the management office.

A number of people who have not received their pre-ordered cars from Azvico Company (Azerbaijan Vehicle Industry) assembled in front of the office of the Head of the Judiciary .

 

 

Residents of the village Malek-Abad in Arak County protested the unlawful confiscation of their pieces of land by semi-government Awqaf and Charity Affairs Organizations. A few days prior, they had blocked the road from Arak to Qom City as a demonstration of protest.

 

A group of transport service drivers of the hospital Shahid Mohammadi went on a strike to protest poor living conditions and low wages.

 

Workers of Arak Machine Manufacturing Factory assembled at the company premises and went on strike.

Wednesday, November 3

Victims of the financial fraud of the cryptocurrency exchange “Cryptoland” assembled in front of the Tehran Courthouse this Wednesday and demanded that their complaints be addressed and their money returned.

A number of workers of Kut-e Abdollah Municipality assembled in front of the building of the Islamic Council in this city. Reportedly, 400 workers have not been fully paid since July.

A number of people with hearing impairment in Mariwan assembled in front of the State Welfare Organization building to protest poor living conditions and unemployment. They asked for enforcing the Comprehensive Law on Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

 

A group of shareholders who lost money due to fraudulent transactions in the Tehran stock exchange assembled in front of the Tehran Courthouse in protest.

 

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 in Iran, many of which were continuations of ongoing movements.  Read our recap below for details, photos, and videos from the demonstrations.

 

Friday, October 15

In Isfahan, a number of farmers assembled at the office of parliament member Hossein Mirzaie to protest the mismanagement in addressing water shortage. In response to the member of parliament (MP) who had recommended rain praying as the only solution, these farmers asked him to pray.

“We are waiting for the MP to come here and do rain prayer,” the farmers stated. “We go here on sit-down strike until it rains.”

 

A number of construction workers for a project to build a freeway tunnel from Manjil to Rasht City went on strike to protest against their employer who broke his promise regarding paying delayed wages. According to the workers, after fifteen days, the employer has yet to fulfill his promise to pay four months of unpaid wages.

About 800 workers working on the Shafa Rud dam in Gilan Province additionally went on strike last Friday to ask for the payment of their wages, which are seven months delayed.

“Since last year, I have been trying to address their issues,” Hassan Muhammad Yari , the MP of Talesh City, stated in Parliament. “Many times, I gave speeches in the parliament; however, so far there has been no one to listen. Therefore, these workers went on strike to reach their demands and I will join them from next week.”

Saturday, October 16

A group of workers of Ahvaz municipality protested on Saturday, first in front of the parliament building in Tehran and then at the office of the president. Reportedly, 69 recently-temporarily-laid-off workers of Ahvaz Municipality demanded to return to work. The workers have not been paid for the last six months and are facing a four month suspension from work.

Sunday, October 17

Workers of the Tehran Bus Company, along with the stakeholder of the housing cooperative of this company, assembled in front of the judiciary building in Tehran. The housing cooperative set up Sepidar construction projects 2 and 3 aiming to provide these bus drivers with housing, but 10 years after its introduction the project remains unfinished.

A number of people who have lost money to Cryptoland, a cryptocurrency exchange, assembled in front of the parliament building and demanded the return of their money

A number of retirees of the pension fund of the steel corporation Fulad assembled in front of the building of this corporation in Isfahan. They asked for the improvement of their pension funds in proportion with the poverty line, closing the gap in pension incomes and addressing issues in regard to supplementary insurance.

Bus and minibus drivers working in the transport service of Southern Pars assembled and protested against low wages in comparison to increasing transportation costs.

Monday, October 18

Some personnel of Ahvaz Water and Wastewater Company assembled in front of the company building to protest the upcoming merger with Khuzestan Water and Water Waste company, among other issues. They said that the merger would worsen the financial situation of the company and the quality of their service as happened after the merger of with rural Water & Wastewater Company with its counterpart in the province.

Tuesday, October 19

A number of citizens assembled in front of the parliament building to protest against unfair family laws especially “Mehrieh”, which relates to the certain amount of money or possession paid by the groom before marriage or later at any time on request of the bride.

A group of workers working in ShafaRud dam assembled in on company property in Rezvanshahr City. These workers have not been paid for seven months and more than 700 workers have been laid off due to the shutdown of the project.

A number of workers of Haft-Tappeh Company assembled and protested on company property. They have been on strike for 23 days. These workers demand payment of their delayed wages, an immediate return of the company from the private sector to public, the return of laid off workers to work, extension of the contracts of both seasonal workers and workers of the pest control department, and the carrying out of repair operations.

 

The workers of Hadid Mobtakeran Company assembled and protested unpaid wages, which have been delayed by two months. 

 

A number of customers of Azvico company (Azarbaijan Vehicle Industry), who had pre-purchased cars protested in front of the building of Economic Crimes Court in Tehran. These citizens have not yet received their purchased car after three years.

 

A group of people, who lost their investment in the Aftab Project, assembled in front of Rey City Court.

 

A group of poultry farmers assembled in front of the building of the Ministry of Agriculture Jihad in Tehran in protest of high incubator costs and government-imposed fixed prices.

A group of people who have not yet received their pre-ordered cars after several years from Persian Khodro Company, Ramak Khodro Company, Seyf Khodro Company, and Karma Company protested on Tuesday.

 

Workers of the private companies which are working as contractors for Bushehr Petrochemical Company went on strike once again. They demanded increased wages, changing shift-work schedule to 20 days work, 10 days off, improvement of worker accommodations and food. It is worth mentioning that since June 19, these workers have launched a campaign to call all oil industry workers to join the strike.

Wednesday, October 20

A number of depositors of Caspian, a finance and credit institution, assembled in front of the building of the Liquidation Board in Tehran. They said that after six years, this finance institution refuses to return their investments. 

“Today we assembled in front of the building of Liquidation Board,” one of the participants in this protest commented. “Once they did not respond, we went inside and they cut off the power of the building to force us to leave.”

Thursday, October 21

A number of workers for a garment factory Sabalan assembled in front of the governorate building in Ardabil to demand their unpaid wages, which have not been paid for three months. These workers say that while the company spends a lot of money on erecting pavilions, building restaurants in company premises, other expenses for tourist attractions, and paying some former politicians apparently as Consultants or board members, they do not pay workers’ wages.

A group of women’s rights activists and other citizens assembled at the Faezeh Maleki-Nia’s burial place in Dolat-Abad village to ask for the repeal of discrimanatory laws against women. On Sunday, October 3, 22-year-old Faezeh Maleki was burned to death by her father in Sanandaj City.

Media Activist Mehrnoosh Tafian Sentenced to Six Months in Court of Appeals

Media activist and Ahvaz resident Mehrnoosh Tafian was sentenced to six months and eleven days in prison by the court of appeals in Khuzestan Province.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, from this prison term, three months and one day have been suspended for one year.

Mehrnoosh Tafian received three months and one day in prison on charges of “spreading lies with the purpose to disturb public opinions”. On a charge of “propaganda against the regime”, the court of appeal reduced the initial verdict from one year to three months and ten days imprisonment.

For the above-mentioned charges, the initial verdict of the Revolutionary Court of Ahvaz was three months and ten days imprisonment and one year respectively.

In October 2020, the IRGC’s intelligence agents raided and inspected her house. They confiscated her cell phone and some other belongings. After one month, she was summoned to appear at IRGC’s Intelligence Organization in Ahvaz for interrogation. On November 1, 2020, when she appeared at Branch 13 of the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the revolutionary Court, she was sent to Sepidar Prison because she failed to provide the required bail.

Mehrnoosh Tafian is graduated from News College and living with her two sons in Ahvaz.

Brothers Ali-Muhammad Muhammadi and Eslam Muhammadi Executed in Sepidar Prison in Ahvaz

On the morning of Tuesday, October 19, two brothers who had previously been convicted of murder were executed in Sepidar Prison in Ahvaz.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, the prisoners’ mother died of a heart attack, which is believed to have been induced by the execution of her children.

HRANA has identified the brothers as 45-year-old Ali-Muhammad Muhammadi and 38-year-old  Eslam Muhammadi, both residents of Ramhormoz County in Khuzestan Province.

According to an informed source, the brothers were arrested in regards to a group fight that happened in June 2005, in a Patak-e Jalali village in Khuzestan Province.

The most recent report of the Statistics and Publication Center of the Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA) states that between October 8 of 2020 and October 9 of 2021, at least 266 citizens, including three juvenile offenders, were executed and 90 citizens were sentenced to death.

As the report points out, Iran’s judicial authorities do not publicly announce over 82% of carried-out executions, dubbed as “secret executions” by human rights organizations.

The execution of the Muhammadi brothers has not been announced by officials or reported by domestic media in Iran as of this writing.

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 in Iran, many of which were continuations of ongoing movements.  Read our recap below for details, photos, and videos from the demonstrations.

 

Saturday, October 9

In Rameshk city, in Sistan and Baluchestan Province, a number of citizens assembled in front of a copper mining company called “Rameshk” to protest the company’s confiscation of their pieces of land without providing compensation.

Sunday, October 10

On the thirteen day of their strike, Haft-Tappeh’s workers assembled in front of the governorate building in Shush city and then marched in the streets. They chanted “this
revolutionary government has just empty slogans”.

These workers demand paying delayed wages, immediate returning the company from the private sector to state section, returning fired workers to work, extending the contracts of both seasonal workers and workers of the pest control department, carrying out repair operations.

A group of depositors of Caspian, a finance and credit institution, assembled in front of the building of the Central Bank in Tehran to protest against the sham investment scheme of the institution and ask for the return on their investment.

A number of retirees of the pension fund of steel corporation Fulad assembled in front of the company’s buildings in Isfahan and Khuzestan. They asked for levelling up their pension in proportion with the poverty line, enjoying adequate benefits and the supplementary insurance as set by the by-laws of this corporation.

 

Monday, October 11

For the second consecutive day, a number of workers of Jovein cement company in Mashhad assembled at company premises to ask for implementing Job Classification Plan and holding the employers to his promises.

A group of poultry farm workers assembled in front of the Governor’s office in Shahrekord city in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province. They protested against the high costs of feeding and chicks for incubators in comparison to the low chicken prices.

On the fourteenth consecutive day, Haft-Tappeh workers assembled in front of the governorate building in Shush city and then marched in the streets.

The contracted workers the company SAAPEC in Asaluyeh went on strike and assembled in company premises in protest against two-months unpaid wages.

For the second consecutive day, a number of citizens in Rameshk city, in Sistan and Baluchestan Province, assembled in front of a copper mining company Rameshk. Reportedly, to build a copper mine site, this company has confiscated their pieces of land without paying any compensation.

Tuesday, October 12

The workers of Abnieh Fanni, a railway company in the Azerbaijan zone, which are working on rail lines of counties Salmas, Jolfa, Azarshahr, Marand and Ajabshir, went on strike in protest against the two-month delay in payment and employer’s contribution in the health insurance. According to these workers, their problems began when the project was outsourced to private-sector companies.

On the fifteenth consecutive day of the strike, workers of Haft-Tappeh Company assembled at their workplace. These worker demands, among other things, paying delayed wages, immediate returning the company from the private sector to state section, returning fired workers to work, extending the contracts of both seasonal workers and workers of the pest control department, Carrying out repair operations.

The workers of the Isfahan municipality assembled to ask for levelling up wages and other demands in front of the municipality headquarter.

In front of the building of the Tehran Planning and Budget Organization, a number of last-year-retired teachers protested unpaid pension income.

Wednesday, October 13

A number of school service personnel working for the Ministry of Education of Qom assembled in the premises of the Ministry of education’s building. They protested low wages,forced and unpaid overworking, cutting off work uniform quota and the lack of promotion and other job-related improvements for those who have obtained the university degree

On the sixteenth day of their strike, Haft-Tappeh’s workers assembled in front of Labor office in Shush city.

A number of contractual teachers assembled in front of the Provincial Government building in Shahrekord in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province. These teachers protested against the lack of job security and low wages in comparison to teachers who are hired by the ministry of education. They demanded to come under contract with the ministry of education.

Thursday, October 14

In response to the call of the Coordinating Council of Iranian teacher Unions, working and retired teachers and educators in at least 40 cities assembled to ask for their demands.

A number of workers of the municipality in Khorramshahr city assembled to ask for six
months unpaid wages.

The workers of private companies which are working as contractors on coal mines in Kerman assembled in front of the Provincial Government building. They asked for implementing the Job Classification plan and other demands.

The retirees of Gilan Ministry of Health assembled in the premises of the University of Medical Sciences in Rasht to ask for closing pension gap and other demands.

On the Seventeenth day of their strike, the workers of Haft-Tappeh Company assembled at their workplace.