HRANA Recap: This Week’s Protests in Iran

The Khuzestan Water Crisis dominated this week’s protests in Iran. Citizens in over 28 cities held rallies in protest of the mismanagement from officials that has led to water shortages throughout the province and the drying of the Karun river. A number of labor protests took place as well, and in some areas the ongoing oil protests continued.

Friday July 16 & Saturday July 17

Farmers in Dezful, a group of workers Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Industry Co, fired workers and pest control workers of Haft Tappeh, members of Jam-e- Jam employees’ housing cooperative in Tehran, and a number of workers of Kut Abdollah municipality rallied protests and called on their demands to be met. On Saturday, the people of Khuzestan protested the water cut in the cities of Shavaur, Karkheh, Susangard, Kut Seyed Naeem, Shadegan, Ahvaz, Kut Abdollah, Hamidiyeh, and Shush. In addition, the people of Mashhad in Khorasan Razavi province joined the rallies in support of the people of Khuzestan.

Fired workers of Haft Tappeh:


Pest control workers of Haft Tappeh:

Rally of farmers in Dezful:

 

Workers of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Industry:

 

Employees of Jam-e- Jam housing cooperative in Tehran:

 

Workers of Kut Abdollah municipality:

Sunday, July 18

A group of workers of Shafa Rud dam in Gilan, retirees in Rasht and Mashhad, a number of official forces of Ahvaz Water and Sewerage Company, retirees of Isfahan steel and Khuzestan steel in their provinces, a group of workers of Haft Tappeh company from all sectors for a sixth day in the row, a group of striking workers of the Dehdasht oil projects, and a number of welders of the Hafshejan pipeline project demanded that their requests be addressed. Meanwhile, on the fourth day of the protests in Khuzestan, People in Susangard, and Ahvaz marched rallies, which were met with shooting and tear gas from military forces.

Workers of Dehdasht and Hafshejan projects:

 

 

Workers of Shafa Rud dam in Gilan:

Retirees in Rasht and Mashhad:

Official forces of Ahvaz Water and Sewerage Company:

Retirees of Isfahan steel, and Khuzestan steel:

 

Workers Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Industry:

 

Monday July 19 and Tuesday July 20

A number of Caspian Institute shareholders in Tehran, a group of retirees of East Azerbaijan Telecommunication Company in Tabriz, a group of suburban bus and minibus drivers in Tehran, a numberof workers Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Industry workers from all sectors for the seventh and eighth consecutive day, collectors of burnt oil In Tehran, a group of workers from the Sungun copper mine and the staff of the Ajin Iron Company, and  a number of fired workers from the municipality of District 2 in Ahvaz held rallies.

Additionally, a group of workers of the oil projects of Pian village in Khuzestan, a number of workers of the Lordegan oil projects, a group from workers in oil projects in Gahru, some operational staff of POGC company, a number of office employees of the oil industry in Fajr Jam gas refining company, contract workers of phases 9 and 10 of South Pars region, a number of farmers of Isfahan, a number of cattle breeders of Neishabour held protest rallies and called on their demands to be addressed. Also, a widespread protest of the people of Khuzestan against water cuts and mismanagement was ongoing in the fifth and sixth days, in different cities of Ahvaz, Mahshahr, Kut Abdollah, Khorramshahr, Chamran, Hamidiyeh, Ramhormoz, Susangar, Veys, Shadegan, Abadan and Izeh.

Caspian Institute shareholders:

East Azerbaijan Telecommunication Company in Tabriz:

Suburban bus and minibus drivers in Tehran:

Workers of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Industry:

 

Workers of the Lordegan oil projects:

 

Workers from the municipality of District 2 in Ahvaz:

Workers of the oil projects of Pian village in Izeh, Khuzestan:

 

Cattle breeders of Neishabour:

 

Farmers in Isfahan:

 

Contract workers of phases 9 and 10 of South Pars region:

Official employees of Fajr Jam gas refinery:

Workers in oil projects in Gahru:

 

Operational staff of POGC company:

Wednesday, July 21

A number of film and television artists in Tehran rallied supporting protesters in Khuzestan. A group of workers from workers Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Industry from all sectors of the company held protest rallies for the ninth day in a row, calling their demands to be addressed. Also, widespread protests by the people of Khuzestan against water shortage and lack of water management continued in the cities of the province, including Ramshir,Susangard, Sheiban, Elahi, Ahvaz, Masjed Soleiman, Behbahan, and Bandar Mahshahr. In at least two other cities, including Yazdan in Isfahan and Bandar Genaveh in Bushehr province, people rallied in support of the people of Khuzestan.

Film and television artists in Tehran:

Workers from workers Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Industry:

Thursday, July 22

A number of workers and employees of Khorasan Railway, a group of farmers of Shabiluy village from Poldasht, West Azerbaijan province, a number of workers Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Industry from all sectors, for the tenth day in a row held protest rallies and called on their demands to be addressed. Also,a number of employed and retired teachers in Kermanshah province supported the protests of the people of Khuzestan by holding a rally in Kermanshah.

Teachers in Kermanshah supported the protests of the people of Khuzestan:

Workers and employees of Khorasan Railway:

Farmers of Shabiluy village in Poldasht, West Azerbaijan:

Workers Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Industry:

 

 

Labor Activist Gharib Havizavi Arrested by Security Forces in Ahvaz

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

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

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

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

HRANA Recap: This Week’s Protests in Iran

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

 

Saturday, May 29

 

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

 

Farmers in Ahvaz city and rural areas:

 

 

Teachers of Green Result-Letter:

 

 

Staff of Imam Khomeini Hospital:

 

 

Izeh preschool teachers:

 

 

Workers from the Persian Gulf Holding:

 

 

Sunday, May 30

 

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

 

Farmers from different villages of Ahvaz:

 

 

Retirees of Khuzestan Steel Company:

 

 

Tehran

 

 

Khuzestan province

 

 

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

 

 

Azad University Protesters:

 

Ahvaz

 

Shiraz

 

 

Isfahan

 

 

 

Fired workers of Mahshahr Petroleum Products Distribution:

 

 

Bankrupted investors in Caspian Financial Institution:

 

 

Monday, May 31

 

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

 

Employees of the Persian Gulf Holding Oil:

 

 

Temporary employees of Mahshahr Petrochemical:

 

Service staff of the National Iranian Drilling Camp in Ahvaz:

 

Staff at Imam Khomeini Hospital in Karaj:

 

 

Tuesday, June 1

 

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

 

Landowners in the new city of Pardis:

 

 

Masjed-e-Soleiman ranchers:

 

 

Mehr View Housing project:

 

 

Bus drivers in Shiraz:

 

 

Wednesday, June 2

 

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

 

Workers of Haft Tappeh Sugar Cane (Day 2) :

 

 

Thursday, June 3

 

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

 

Workers of Haft Tappeh Sugar Cane (Day 3):