On Thursday, April 29, 2022, 22 residents of Saravan Village, were arrested. In recent weeks, residents of Saravan Village in Rasht Province held protests to get the officials’ attention to the local landfill sites, which have insects, toxins, and leachate to come to the area.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting IRIB News Agency, 22 individuals were arrested during the protest against the pollution caused by landfills in the forests near Saravan Village in Rasht Province.

Confirming the arrest of these protestors, Majid Rasoulzadeh, the Social and Cultural Deputy of the Gilan Police Department, claimed that during the clash with protestors, five police officers were injured and one was hospitalized.

Photos and videos circulated on social media, however, showing that the police have used violence against the protestors.