Update on Political Prisoner Ayoub Porkar’s Condition 

Political prisoner Ayoub Porkar is currently spending the fourteenth year out of his twenty-year sentence in Sheyban Prison in Ahvaz. During this period, he has not been granted any furlough. 

In 2008, Porkar was arrested by security forces and later sentenced to death by Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran on the charge of “enmity against God through cooperation with The People’s Mujahedin Organization of Iran (MEK).” This verdict was commuted to 20 years in prison on appeal. 

Nasrin Sotoudeh, his attorney at the time of trial, stated that the arguments for his conviction were based on his beliefs rather than actions. 

Porkar is currently serving the fourteenth year of his sentence in exile, in Sheyban prison in Ahvaz. During the entire fourteen years, he has not been granted any furlough. 

Daily Review of Protests in Iran

On Tuesday, June 21, 2022, a number of protests and two workers’ strikes took place in different cities across Iran.

In Mashhad, a number of taxi drivers went on strike to demand increasing fares and protest against their poor living conditions.

The pensioners of social security organizations continued their protests in the cities of Ahvaz and Kermanshah. They chanted slogans for levelling up pensions in accordance with the Supreme Labor Council’s enactment.

A group of workers of Ilam Municipality gathered and protested against a four-month payment delay, including night-shift wage, and insurance. Following this gathering, the chairman of the Ilam City Council announced that their wages will be paid soon.

A number of building armature fixing workers working gathered in a park in Kermanshah to protest against low wages, the lack of insurance coverage and poor living conditions.

The workers of seven industrial zones across Iran went on strike for the fourth consecutive day.

Ronak Rezai Arrested and Taken to Sepidar Prison in Ahvaz

Security forces arrested Ronak Rezai, a resident of Abadan and transferred her to Sepidar Prison in Ahvaz. Her arrest is related to the recent protests following Abadan’s Metropol building collapse.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Ronak Rezai was arrested in Abadan and jailed in Sepidar Prison in Ahvaz.

The reason for the arrest and the charges are unknown so far.

In recent days,  a number of citizens were arrested during the protests. HRANA has earlier reported the arrest of the journalist and poet Arash Ghaleh-Golab in Abadan and Mohammad Soveylat, age 22, in Shadegan, in Khuzestan Province.

On Monday afternoon, May 23, 2022, a 10-story building which was known as Metropol collapsed in the city of Abadan in Khuzestan Province. Over 30 individuals were killed, injured or trapped in the rubble. Following the collapse, hundreds of citizens in Abadan and several other cities demonstrated against the government and its failure to impose safety standards on the construction which led to the disaster.

Report on Protests Following Abadan Building Collapse

In recent days, following the collapse of a building in Abadan in Khuzestan Province which led to the death of 29 people declared so far, hundreds of citizens in Abadan, Ahvaz, Shahin-Shahr, Shahr-e-Rey, Andimeshk and Khorramshahr demonstrated against the government, more specifically on the issues related to corruption, low safety standards, and mismanagement. People protested against authorities and influential individuals whose corruption, incompetency and failure to impose safety standards on the construction contributed to the disaster. They also blamed shortcomings in rescue operations and equipment for such a high death toll.

Metropol Collapse

So far, a number of protestors have been arrested. Anti-riot forces have been present on the scene, turning peaceful protests into a violent showdown.

On Monday, May 23, 2022, 10-story building which was under construction known as Metropol collapsed in the city of Abadan in Khuzestan Province. Dozens of people were killed, injured or trapped in the rubble. The experts of the Abadan Engineering Organization had already warned about the safety deficiencies and announced that for these safety issues, the building should not be inaugurated. Nonetheless, the construction continued.

Although the causes of the collapse have not been investigated yet, many argue that the lack of construction oversight by the municipal officials who are themselves the shareholders of this project led to this disaster.

Moreover, the government’s failure to provide adequate emergency response and proper rescue equipment caused anger and criticism toward the officials. According to some victims’ families and protestors, the officials’ failure to provide the required equipment hindered the debris removal operation, which led to the death of more people who were trapped under rubble. Moreover, the government did not cancel a state-run celebration in a sports stadium, which further angered the populace.

Protests

Initially, people gathered for mourning after the building collapse which turned into the marching in streets and spread to additional cities. In Abadan, Ahvaz, Shahin-Shahr, Shahr Ray, Andimeshk and Khorramshahr, people marched and chanted slogans against the Iranian regime.

On Friday, the protests turned violent in some cities as the police attempted to scatter the crowds with tear gas and pellet guns. Many protestors were beaten in Ahvaz and Shahin-Shahr .

The protests continued on Saturday and Sunday. In Andimeshk, Abadan, Shahr-e-Rey, and Dezful, people marched and chanted “death to the dictator”, “the clerics must go away”, and other anti-regime slogans.

On Sunday, officials in Abadan attempted to hold a supervised mourning gathering. According to reports of eye-witnesses obtained by HRANA, during the gathering, people began to chant anti-regime slogans, did not allow the assigned cleric to finish sermons, and left to march in the streets.

The map below shows the geographical distribution of protests:

On Friday, Netblocks, a watchdog organization that monitors global access to the internet reported disruption on the internet in Iran. Some local sources have also reported the internet and phone disruption to HRANA. These reports were in Abadan, Ahvaz and Khorramshahr.

Arrests

Dozens of people have been arrested during these protests. So far, HRANA has identified four individuals who were arrested as Ali Fartoosi, Aghil Amoori, Mohammad Fartoosi, and Hamid Fartoosi. These individuals were arrested and transferred to an unidentified location. Also, on Thursday, Karim Aldninawi, an Arab poet and resident of Shush City, was arrested following his criticism of the government in a video post on social media.

The following video is a compilation of 44 verified video reports on current protests.

 

 

Report on Current Nationwide Protests: Hundreds Arrested; Dozens Killed and Injured

During the last two weeks, triggered by food price hikes, nationwide protests erupted in more than 31 cities across 10 provinces. HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, has recorded 53 demonstrations so far. 

According to HRANA, on Friday, May 6, 2022, following the government’s decision to cut subsidies on essential food items such as dairy products, flour, cooking oil, chicken, and eggs leading to soaring prices, the call for rallying against soaring prices went viral on social media. In the following days, several protests broke out in Khuzestan Province and soon swept through numerous cities across the country.

Prior to these protests, a series of protests and gatherings of teachers, labor workers and the retirees who had lost their pensions due to the government’s risky financial decisions had been sweeping across the country leading to dozens being arrested.

The new rounds of protests sparked initially in Susangerd City and other neighboring cities in Khuzestan Province. In the following days, at least 30 Arab-speaking citizens were arrested by security forces.

Soon after, the protests spread to other cities and provinces. The videos received from citizen journalists indicate that the protestors chanted slogans against inflation as well as the Iranian regime leaders, including President Ebrahim Raeisi and Supreme Leader Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

The map below shows the locations where the protests were.

As the map shows, the protests took place in the following cities: Izeh, Susangerd, Hamidieh, Ahvaz, Mahshahr, Masjed Soleiman, Shadegan, Jarahi Town Mahshahr, Dorud, Andimeshk, Dezful, Shahrekord, Junaqan, Fashafouyeh, Yasuj, Ardabil, Farsan, Khorramabad, Dehdasht, Borujerd, Suq, Yazd, Golpayegan, Cholicheh, Rasht, Neyshabur, Surshjan, Hafshejan, Babaheydar, Karevan Town and Pordanjan.

In total, 53 protests have been recorded. Moreover, 45 times, the attempts to start a protest were foiled due to the heavy presence of police and security forces in the streets. 

The map below shows the locations of 53 protests and the time periods.

During these protests, at least on 22 occasions in 14 cities, the police and security forces used tear gas, warning shots, pellet guns and in some cases heavy weapons against the protestors. In nine cities, tear gas and in 14 cities warning shots were used to scatter the crowds. In eight cities, security forces fired straight toward the crowds. Reportedly, security forces have used pellet guns, Kalashnikov assault rifles and paintball guns to disperse the protestors.

The map below shows the places where crackdowns and unrestrained shootings have been reported.

Since the beginning of the protests on Friday, May 6, the government disrupted the internet in several areas in Ahvaz in an attempt to prevent the protests. In the days that followed, Internet disruption was also reported in at least 10 cities.

In addition to intentional Internet disruption, the press was banned from covering the protests.

According to the reports obtained from local sources, at least 449 individuals were arrested during the protests.

So far, six people have been confirmed dead. These people have been identified as Pishali Ghalebi Hajivand (Dezful), Saadat Hadipour (Hafshejan), Jamshid Mokhtari Junaqani (Junaqan), Omid Soltani (Andimeshk), Hamid Ghasempour (Farsan City), and Behrooz Eslami (Babaheydar). HRANA can only confirm the reports on the death of the first two individuals mentioned above.

From all videos of protests which are circulating on social media, HRANA has verified the authenticity of 30 video reports which compilation you can watch below:

 

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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.