Lawyer Farzaneh Zilabi Receives Prison Sentence

HRANA, Human Rights Activists News Agency-The Branch 4 of the Ahvaz Revolutionary Court sentenced attorney Farzaneh Zilabi to one year and six months in prison.

According to the verdict, Zilabi received one year for the charge of “propaganda against the regime” and six months for “insulting the Supreme Leader of Iran.” The court session, held on April 17, 2023, addressed these charges along with two other charges of “membership in anti-regime groups” and “assembly and collusion against national security.”

It should be noted that Zilabi is also facing the charge of “spreading falsehood” in another ongoing legal case.

Zilabi has been a legal representative for the Syndicate of Workers of Haft-Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Industry Company and has represented several recently arrested individuals, including media activist Mehrnoosh Tafian, journalist Mandanda Sadeghi, and student activist Ronak Rezaie. Zilabi has a history of arrests and convictions related to her activism.

 

Sepideh Gholian Hospitalized Following Hunger Strike

On September 13, 2022, imprisoned civil rights activist Sepideh Gholian was hospitalised following a hunger strike. Gholian went on hunger strike on September 10 as a protest against her imprisonment in exile and away from her city. Today, on September 15, she ended her hunger strike after prison officials promised to address her request for relocation.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, following Gholian’s hunger strike, she was sent to a hospital outside Evin Prison.

An informed source told HRANA that Gholian started a hunger strike when the prison officials refused her requests for relocation to Sepidar Prison in Ahvaz. Gholian has been separated from her family through a long distance between the cities. 

On November 18, 2018, Sepideh Gholian was arrested along with at least 19 others, including members of the Assembly of Representatives of Haft-Tappeh workers, and several workers’ activists by security police in Shush city. She was released on bail on December 18, 2018.

After broadcasting her forced confession as well as some other workers’ activists, including Esmail Bakhshi on state TV, they announced that the “confessions” were extracted under duress. Soon after this announcement, the security police arrested them.

On October 26, 2019, Gholian was released on bail until the end of legal proceedings. On December 14, 2019, she was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment by Tehran Appellate Court.

On June 21, 2020, Gholian began serving her prison term in Evin prison. On March 10, 2021, she was exiled to Bushehr Prison, where she was held until she was granted leave.

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. Read our recap below for details, photos, and videos from the demonstrations

Saturday, May 23

A group of workers and retirees of the Sugarcane Agro-Industry Company Haft-Tappeh gathered in front of the governorate building in Shush City. Recently, these protestors who are living in corporate houses of this company have received an eviction notice. They said that “we will evict the houses, but we have to receive beforehand the renovation expenses. Since these houses are too old, we have spent a lot on renovation”.

A group of poultry farmers assembled in front of the Ministry of Agriculture Jihad in Tehran. They protested against a 600% increase in livestock inputs. According to these farmers, the subsidiary companies of the Ministry sell the livestock inputs illegally on the black market.

A group of personnel of the Ministry of Petroleum who have temporary contracts gathered before this Ministry in Tehran to protest again low wages. According to these protestors, a 10 per cent increase in wages can not keep up with current inflation.

A number of workers of the Municipality of Ahar City walked off the job and went on strike to protest unpaid wages.

Sunday, May 23

A group of pensioners of the Social Security Organization gathered in front of the Planning and Budget Organization in Tehran. In Karaj, Ahvaz, Tabriz, Kerman, Rasht, and Kermanshah, the pensioners held protests before the building of 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.

 

 

 

A group of workers of the Municipality of Yasuj gathered before the governorate building to protest against 5-month delays in payments. One of the workers complained: “we work 12 hours. However, we cannot even afford the travel expenses so we have to walk to work. If we protest, they threaten us with termination.”

A group of citizens, who have not lost their money by the fraudulent acts of Negin Khordo and Irtoya, held protests before Tehran Public Prosecutor’s Office. They asked for transparency and responsibility from the judiciary in examining the legal case against these companies.

 

Monday, May 23

Following the collapse of a tower in Abadan, dozens of people rallied and protested. 27 people died in this accident. On that day, at least 80 people were still trapped under rubble.

In Tehran, a number of taxi drivers working for taxi app Snapp protested against low fares, lack of insurance coverage and other issues.

Tuesday, May 24

A group of students of Allameh Tabataba’i University protested against the suppression of students and prison sentence against Hasti Amiri, one of the law students at Allameh Tabataba’i University.

Recently, the Court of Appeals upheld a one-year sentence against Hasti Amiri.

Similarly, a group of students of the Babol Noshirvani University of Technology gathered on campus to protest against the prison sentence against Hasti Amiri as well as other imprisoned civil activist Farhad Meysami and jailed teachers Mohammad Habibi and Esmail Abdi.

In Abadan, hundreds of residents gathered and protested before the collapsed tower known as Metropol. They chanted slogans against the incompetency of officials and shortcomings in rescue operations and equipment. At least 26 people died in this accident. The experts of the Abadan Engineering Organization had already warned about the construction defect of this unfinished building.

A group of workers of the Ministry of Petroleum, who have temporary contracts gathered before this Ministry in Tehran. They said that a 10 per cent increase in wages is less than the minimum wage enacted by the Ministry of Labor. Also, they have not received yet the end year bonuses.

A number of ranchmen brought some of their livestock in front of the governorate building in Mehran city to protest against the shortening of forage for livestock.

Wednesday, May 25

A group of physicians held protests in front of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education in Tehran. With placards in their hands, they protested that the government and insurance take as high as 70 per cent of their revenue.

A number of residents of a district in Fanuj City gathered at their district to protest against Natural Resources Office’s attempt to confiscate their lands to construct a mine. They also warned about the irreparable damage this mine will bring to the environment.

Thursday, May 26

In protest against the incompetency of officials led to the collapse of a tower and the death of 26 people, hundreds of people in Abadan rallied. Also in Ahvaz and Shahinshar, people rallied in support of Abadan’s protest. People chanted anti-government slogans and the police shoot tear gas into the crowd in order to scatter them.

On May 23, 2022, the unfinished 10-story Metropol building collapsed and dozens of people were killed, injured or trapped in the debris.

 

 

 

 

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. Read our recap below for details, photos, and videos from the demonstrations


Saturday, April 30

A number of workers of Shush Municipality held protests in front of the governorate building in this city. These workers demanded four months of unpaid wages, two months of unpaid insurance employer contribution and official employment contracts.

One of the workers said: “in total, more than 300 workers work for Shush Municipality through contractors. Many of them have been working for the municipality for about 18 years. Along with wages arrears and unpaid insurance contributions, they wanted to be officially recruited by the municipality.”

A group of workers of IGC contractor company working in a Gas Complex Project NGL3100 in Dehloran went on strike. These workers asked for increasing wages and a work schedule of 20 days on/10 days off.
At the same time, the workers of two contractor companies working in Damavand Petrochemical Company and the Gas Tank Manufacturing Company Gheytasi went on strike.

Sunday, May 1

In response to a call by the Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations, the retired and working teachers and educators in 45 cities assembled in front of the building of the Ministry of Education. Due to the presence of many security agents before the ministry of education in Tehran, the teachers gathered in several parks in the city.

More than 450 workers of Shushtar Karun Sugarcane Agro-Industry held protests at company premises and before the governorate building in Shushtar city. They demanded official employment contracts for seasonal workers, more workforce to reduce the workload and closing disparities in wages.

A number of pharmacists assembled and protested before Food and Drug Administration in Tehran. One of The protestors said: “It was going to form a workgroup consisting of Food and Drug Administration, the Medical Council and the representatives of pharmacists to address the issues. Yet, so far, such workgroup has not formed.” According to these pharmacists, their jobs have been damaged by a pharmaceutical Mafia.

 

A number of farmers in Mobarakeh City in Isfahan Province gathered before the governorate building in this city to ask for their ware ration.

A number of Social Security pensioners held protests in Arak, Ahvaz, Rasht and Kermanshah before the social security organization’s offices in each city. Their demands include raising pensions to stand above the poverty line, implementing a plan to close disparities in pension and wages, and addressing supplementary insurance issues.

A group of Haft-Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Industry gathered and protested at the company premises.

A number of workers of Shush Municipality went again on strike in protest against the unpaid wages and the unpaid insurance employer contributions.

Monday, May 2

A group of Shushtar Karun Sugarcane Agro-Industry in Khuzestan Province held a protest. These workers demanded modifications in their employment contracts. One of the workers said: “the workers consist of two groups with two different demands. one group who works for contractors and wanted to be recruited directly by the company and the second group have been already recruited by the company but they want permanent and official contracts for the sake of job security.”

Continuing their protest, workers of Shush Municipality gathered to ask for three to four months’ unpaid wages and insurance employer contributions.

On the occasion of teacher appreciation day, a group of teachers and educators in Aligudarz gathered to ask for their demands. They also chanted in protest against the arrest of teacher Ebrahimi Mahmoodi.

 

Thursday, May 5

Along with their families, a group of teacher union activists of Sanandaj and Mariwan held protests on the day of the minister of education’s visit to Sanandaj City. Holding placards in their hands, they demanded the release of the detained teachers Eskandar Lotfi and Masoud Nikkhah.

A group of workers of the Ali-Sadr Cave Tourist-Recreational Complex gathered to protest against not addressing their work demands.

The residents of the rural district of Jowshaqan-e Qali in Isfahan Province gathered to protest against mining activities in the region. According to these protestors, the Iron mine activity in the mountains has endangered the ecosystem.

 

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 27 

A number of seasonal workers at the Haft-Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Industry Company assembled today in Shush City, first before the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labour, and Social Welfare and then in front of the Governorate building. Their demands regarded issues with their contracts. Last Thursday, this group of workers assembled in front of the office of Parliament member Kaab Amir.

A group of personnel at Distribution Electrical Company in Golestan Province assembled in front of their company’s building, asking for permanent, official employment rather than their current temporary agreement.

Workers at petrochemical company Fajr assembled before the company entrance to protest against an increase in working hours. Reportedly, shift hours were increased from 8 to 12 without workers’ consent. According to labour code, shifts longer than 12 hours are forbidden. 

Nurses and other personnel at the Ministry of Health assembled in front of the Planning and Budget Organization building to ask for the implementation of an “extra payment plan”, a reduction in taxes, and a pay raise. Despite being enacted in 2014 by Parliament, the “extra payment plan”, has not yet been put into action after seven years.

Injured veterans of the Iran-Iraq War assembled in front of the Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs in Tehran to protest against poor living conditions.

The victims of Fardadkar Amitis Company, who lost their money due to fraudulent acts by the investment company, protested before the Qoddoosi Courthouse in Tehran. About ten thousand victims have lost a combined 2500 billion tomansb (594,887,500 USD). The protesters asked to move the case from the Qoddoosi Courthouse to the Economic Crimes Court and the Branch of Economic Corruption of the Revolutionary Court.

A group of farmers in Bavy County protested for their water allocation for fall cultivation. They assembled before the Karun Irrigation Company, Eastern Lands in Ahvaz City. Despite promises, two months have passed without farmers receiving water allocation. 

A group of physicians and medical graduates working in the government sector assembled before the Medical Sciences Building in Yazd City. They protested against unfair salary calculation methods and heavy taxes.

Sunday, November 28

Families of the victims of Ukrainian International Airlines Flight 752 marched on the Military Courthouse where the trial of low-ranking military officers is being held. The assembly was on surveilled by many security agents. In the early hours of January 8, 2020, Flight 752 was hit by a missile sent by regime military forces. After a few days of covering up the cause of this incident, the regime admitted that the plane was hit by a missile shot from an anti-missile defense base.

 

Several families with children with SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy) assembled in front of the Parliament building in Tehran to ask that their children’s medicine, necessary to treat SMA, be imported.

A group of retirees of Haft-Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Industry Company assembled at the entrance of the factory. They claimed that the years of service payment is lower than dictated by labour law.

Retirees using the Fulad Company pension fund assembled in front of pension fund offices in the cities of Ahvaz and Isfahan. They asked for a raise in pensions in order to stay above the poverty line, as well as the elimination of pension disparities and issues with supplementary insurance.

A number of truck drivers in Sarbaz County, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, assembled in front of the governorate building to protest against a cut on fuel rations. They said that fuel rations for their trucks have been cut without compelling reason.

Monday, November 29

A number of retirees of airline company Homa assembled in front of Homa’s pension fund offices. They protested against delays in payments and the merger of Homa’s pension fund with the national pension fund.

In Bandar Mahshahr, a number of jobseekers assembled before the refinery tanks of the Persian Gulf Bidboland Gas Refining Company. They protested the company recruitment policy, which discriminates against native workers.

Tuesday, November 30

A number of the victims of financial frauds from financial institution Caspian assembled in front of the judiciary building in Tehran to demand the return of their investment, including profits and loss.

 

A number of residents in a nomadic area known as “Sargachineh” in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province protested in front of the provincial governorate building. Residents said that 57 hectares of land have been unlawfully assigned to one person who is not even a native of this area.

For the third consecutive day, families of children with SMA assembled in front of the parliament in Tehran to ask for the import of required medicine for their children.

A number of seasonal workers of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Industry Company assembled at company premises. They had been protesting for several consecutive days to demand that their contract issues be addressed.

Technical workers from various districts assembled at their workplace, Distribution Electrical Company of Tehran, to ask for permanent employment contracts. One of the workers said that many of workers have not been offered a permanent contract after 20 years.

Municipal workers in Khorramshahr City assembled in front of the governorate building to protest against a four-month delay in payments.

Dozens of workers of three copper mining companies in Varzeqan City assembled on company premises. Reportedly, these workers protested against the return of four fired managers.

 

Workers at two companies that are contracting for Petrochemical Company Apadana in Asaluyeh City went on strike to protest against the employers, who failed to keep promises regarding workers’ demands.

The teachers and educators from the Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Fars, Qom and Khuzestan provinces went on strike and assembled before the buildings of the ministry of education in each province. These teachers demanded the implementation of a plan, which has already been enacted in the parliament and whereby teachers’ income will be raised in accordance with a ranking

Wednesday, December 1

About 120 retired workers of Haft-Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Industry Company assembled before the company entrance to protested a miscalculation in benefits.

For the fourth consecutive day, dozens of families with children with SMA assembled in front of parliament in Tehran to ask for the import of required medicine for their children. During this assembly, President Raisi appeared and promised to address this issue in a meeting with that included three representatives from the families.

 

Municipal service workers and gardeners in Kish protested before the building of the Kish Free Zone Organization to protest against low wages and benefits.

 

For the second consecutive day, educators in Qom City assembled before the  provincial Ministry of Education to ask for the implementation of a plan that, though passed by the parliament, have not yet been enacted.

Several retired and working school teachers in Shiraz City went on strike to demand implementation of the afore-mentioned plan.

For the second consecutive day, a number of workers of three copper mining companies in Varzeqan City assembled on company premises.

Thursday, December 2

In response to a call by the Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations, retired and working educators in 73 cities across the country assembled in front of the building of the Ministry of Education (or, in Tehran, Parliament) in each city. They demanded the implementation of a plan already enacted by Parliament whereby teachers’ income will be raised in accordance with a ranking.

In Qom City, a number of farmers assembled before a production cooperative company to ask for their water portion. They also protested against heavy fines for unauthorized withdrawals from wells.

For the third consecutive day, dozens of workers at three copper mining companies in Varzeqan City went on a strike and assembled at their company premises.

 

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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, November 20

A number of workers and retirees assembled in the Worker House in Tehran. In this gathering, the workers showed their protest against a plan laid out in parliament, whereby wages can be wholly determined by a consensus between employee and employer.

“This plan will increase rural-to-urban migration and hence affect negatively the ecology”, Hassan Sadeghi, one of the workers’ representatives, commented about the plan. “It
reinforces informal employment and decreases demands in the market. In this plan, employers will be able to pay insurance contribution of just 10 days rather than 30 days.”



A group of workers of Abadan Petrochemical Complex assembled at company premises in front of the central factory building. They asked for the establishment of an Islamic Labor Council as a worker organization, pointing out that the government increases only the salary base in accordance with inflation each year, while other benefits remain the same.

Personnel of the medical treatment department of Elam University of Medical Sciences assembled on campus in protest.

A number of workers in Yazd Province assembled at the Worker House in Yazd City. They asked that the disparity in wages be closed, and that labor codes and regulations regarding worker housing be implemented.

“Considering the 47% (annual) inflation, a 20 to 30% increase in wages is never enough. Therefore, we are planning to address this issue in a session with workers’ organizations as
well as through Parliament,” the member of Parliament of this city, Mr. Jokar, commented. “Among other things, addressing the temporary contracts which undermine job security, productivity and motivations for labor force have to be prioritized.”

Sunday, November 21

In Shahrekord City, hundreds of people assembled in front of the municipal building of this Province and then marched through the streets of Shahrekord in protest against water shortages
and water mismanagement.

Families of the victims of Ukrainian International Airlines flight 752, which was hit by two regime missiles on January 8, 2020, resulting in the death of the 176 people on board, assembled and demanded that the court-martial convene and hold low-ranking military officers responsible for the incident accountable. Carrying placards and pictures of the victims, protesters called for justice.

A group of the retirees of the Fulad Company’s pension fund protested in Isfahan and Khuzestan before the building of this fund. They asked for the fortification of their pensions to stand
above the poverty line, the closing of disparities in pensions, and that the issues of supplementary insurance be addressed.

For several consecutive days, a group of workers of Abadan Petrochemical Complex assembled and protested at the premises of this complex. They demanded increased wages and that a workers’ organization be established.

Monday, November 22

In Shahrekord City, for a second consecutive day, dozens of citizens marched to protest against water shortage and water mismanagement in the province.

Recently-dismissed workers of the Aq-Dareh gold mine assembled at their former workplace to protest mass layoffs. They have stated that, as seasonal workers, they can hardly earn their livelihood during the winter months.

In Sirjan City, a number of workers of the edible oil company FRICO demanded their several-months-delayed wages.

Tuesday, November 23

A group of workers of Asminon Mine assembled on the road connecting Manoojān to Bandar-Abbas to protest against not addressing their issues. Reportedly, this was their fourth day of the protest.

Workers of the vegetable oil factory Nina, located in the Sirjan industrial zone, assembled in front of the municipal building to ask for their wage demands and determine their job  conditions. One of the workers said that the employer’s neglect towards workers’ demands has weakened their work motivation. He also mentioned that it is about three months that the factory is temporarily closed due to the lack of raw materials.

Wednesday, November 24

Hundreds of people in two squares of Shahrekord City, in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, assembled and marched to protest against water shortages, ineffective water management policies and poor resource mismanagement. They demanded, in particular, shutting down a water transfer project which extracts water from the Province through two canals, exacerbating the current water shortage. Reportedly, currently, 96.1% of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province is facing drought.

In Isfahan, for several consecutive days, the farmers assembled in the dried up stretches of the river Zayandeh-rud. They demanded their water portion and the revival of this river.

Several patients with the blood disorder Thalassemia assembled in front of the headquarter of Zahedan University of Medical Sciences. According to these protestors,  the worsening quality of its medicines has endangered the health of patients. They asked for the removal of all poor-quality medicines from the market.

A number of the victims of the financial fraud of the “King Money” cryptocurrency network assembled in front of the building of the Baadraan Universal Trading company.

The seasonal workers of Haft-Tappeh sugarcane company assembled in Shush city in front of the office of Parliament member Kaab Amir. They asked that their employment contract issues be addressed.

Thursday, November 25

A number of citizens assembled in front of the office of the Cleric Ayatollah Nouri Hamedani in Qom City to protest against the family law–particularly mehrieh (money or
possessions paid by the groom). Many men, who are not able to afford to pay this money in the divorce, are convicted and even jailed.

For a second consecutive day, seasonal workers of Haft-Tappeh Sugarcane company assembled in Shush City in front of the office of Parliament member Kaab Amir.

The workers of the Iran-Khodro Company in Tabriz went on a strike and assembled at their workplace. They demanded closing the disparity in wages and implementing the Job Classification Act. 

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 13

A number of retirees of the airline company Homa assembled before Mehrabad Airport Central Office Building in Tehran. They also protested against the merger of Homa’s pension fund into the national pension fund.

“We have not yet fully earned the salary for September.” one of the protestors stated. “The retirees of Tehran have received 5 million tomans of the payment but the rest of the retirees have not received anything.”

In Isfahan, a number of farmers assembled in and marched through in the dried up stretches of the river Zayandeh-rud. This is the sixth day that they have protested to demand their water portion.

 

A group of contracted teachers and educators working in Neyshabur City protested in the building of the General Department of Education of Razavi Khorasan Province in Mashhad.

Reportedly, despite news that the contracted teachers will be recruited by the Ministry of Education in the cities of Neyshabur and Firouzeh, following a dispute between the local departments and the general department of the Ministry of Education on hours and wages, the supportive plan was cancelled.

 

A group of residents in a district in Izeh County in Khuzestan Province assembled in front of the government building to demand their rights. They claimed that a portion of their land has been confiscated by the Department of Natural Resources.

Sunday, November 14

 

A group of syndicate bus drivers of Tehran Bus Company assembled before the building of Government Employees’ Court and then marched towards the Judiciary Office in Tehran. As one of the protestors mentioned, they protested against delays in payment, not receiving uniforms and contractors who are shirking their responsibilities towards addressing workers’ issues.

Personnel of at least nine medical centers, belonging to the University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, assembled and protested against authorities’ failure to follow through on promises they have made.

Retirees of the Ministry of Agriculture Jihad assembled before the office of the President to demand that their housing issues be addressed. Reportedly, several years ago, they made down payments on apartments from a housing cooperative and then were never granted building permits.

A number of contracted teachers assembled in front of the government building in Qazvin City to protest against modifications in job contracts and irregular payments. Reportedly, these teachers primary complaints relate to the arbitrary determination of salaries. They stated that their monthly salary is just about 1.8 million tomans, which falls below the poverty line.

A number of retirees of the pension fund of Fulad Company assembled in front of the pension fund offices of various cities. They asked for the fortification of their pension to surpass the poverty line, closing the disparity in pension incomes, enforcing Article 96 of the Social Security Act, solving issues regarding supplementary insurance.

A group of sugarcane harvesting workers of Haft-Tappeh Company assembled and protested at the company premises. 150 fired sugarcane workers demanded to be hired again and work in other parts of the company.

Contracted service workers of Ahvaz Municipality assembled before the governorate building to ask to be recruited by the municipality rather than contractors.

For a seventh consecutive days, a group of farmers assembled in Isfahan and marched through the dried up stretches of the river Zayandeh-rud to demand their water portion. They spent the night in tents under the Khaju Bridge.

Monday, November 15

A number of Taxi drivers assembled and protested before the City Council Office in Kahnooj City in Kerman Province to protest against the newly announced fare rates. They said that they can hardly afford their living costs with such low rates.

Tuesday, November 16

Personnel of the drilling company Global Petro Tech Kish assembled in Ahvaz City to protest seven month delays in payments.

 

Earthquake victims of Bandar-Abbas villages assembled to protest against neglect of their issues.

 

A number of workers of Sanandaj Municipality assembled in front of the City Council Building to demand their unpaid wages.

Wednesday, November 17

 

Dozens of workers of the tire manufacturing factory Barez assembled at factory premises to protest against the gap in wages and benefits.

“Many times we asked company management to do something about discrimination in wages and address our poor job conditions,” one worker said. “Considering poor economic conditions of the county, there has been no increase in our wages despite the multiplying manufactured products’ prices.”

 

Personnel of Metro security in Karaj City went on a strike and assembled before the metro station and demanded that wage and insurance issues be addressed.

 

In Tabriz, for several consecutive days, the workers of the Iran Tractor Manufacturing Industrial Group went on a strike and assembled at their workplace. They protested against low wages and the lack of job security, and the failure to enact the promised changes in their contracts.

 

For the ninth consecutive day, farmers in Isfahan assembled and protested in the dried up stretches of the river Zayandeh-rud. They spent the night in tents under the Khaju Bridge.

 

A number of workers of the copper mining company “Dareh Zar Ruchun” assembled in Sirjan city.

They protested against the mismatch of working hours with wages, not implementing the Job Classification Act, low wages, the lack of job security.

Thursday, November 18

 

A number of workers of Railway Services & Technical Construction Engineering Company working in Metro Security assembled and blocked the railway and demanded their delayed payments.

For the tenth consecutive day, farmers assembled and protested in the dried up stretches of the river Zayandeh-rud in Isfahan to ask for their water supply.

 

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.

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.

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, September 25

This Saturday, the family of Amir Hossein Hatami, who recently died under suspicious circumstances in custody, gathered in front of the Greater Tehran Prison to demand accountability from prison officials. Also, in 36 cities across the country, working and retired teachers rallied in protest. Working and retired workers of Homa Airline gathered in front of the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development building in Tehran, and employees of Iran international General Contractor Company (IGC) went on strike in Asaluyeh.

Working and retired teachers in protesting in 36 cities across the country:

 

Sunday, September 25

On Sunday, a number of Workers Protests took place. Employees of the road construction and mining company Mobayen, retirees of Fulad steel company in regard to their pension fund in Isfahan and Khuzestan, and employees of Pars Tabiaat Celulose and its parent company, Kaghaz Pars, all held demonstrations.

Retired workers of a steel company (Fulad)’s  about pension funds in Isfahan and Khuzestan:

Employees of the road construction and mining company Mobayen:

Protests of workers of Kaghaz Pars company and its daughter company, Pars Tabiaat cellulose:

 

Tuesday, September 28,

This Tuesday, a number of Haft Tappeh workers protested once again. Victims of fraudulent activities boycotted a car retail company in Jam County. Additionally, retirees of the Ministry of Health in Khuzestan, Isfahan, Gilan, Golestan, and East Azerbaijan protested.

 

Wednesday, September 29

Buyers who pre-purchased cars protested Shahrkhodro Company for not receiving thir orders on time. Kerman coal company workers protested low wagest, and workers of Haft Tappeh went on strike for a second consecutive day. A number of truck drivers in Saveh also protested delays in fuel shipments.

 

Dissatisfied purchasers of cars against ShahrKhodro Company:

Workers of Kerman Coal Company demanding higher wages:

Haft-Tappeh workers on strike:

Thursday, September 30

Teachers in Qom and Markazi provinces demanded better conditions and higher wages this Thursday. Service personel of the ministry of education also protested poor job conditions in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari.

Teachers in Qom and Markazi provinces regarding wages:

Haft Tappeh workers on strike: