HRANA’s Daily Review of Protests in Iran

On Sunday, July 31, at least 16 protests took place in Iran.

In Tehran, Kermanshah, Shahrekord, Karaj, Tabriz, Urmia, Isfahan, Ahvaz, Bojnurd, and Sanandaj, the pensioners of the state-owned Iran Telecommunication Company held protests against the non-payment and reduction of their benefits. In Tehran, the police dispersed the protest gathering and several pensioners were arrested.

 

The pensioners of the Social Security Organization continued their protests in front of this organization in Rasht and Kermanshah.

In Ahvaz, the pensioners held a protest together with Ahvaz National Steel Industrial Group workers and the nurses of a hospital in front of the Ahvaz Governor-General Building.

 

The workers of the detergent manufacturing company Darugar continued their protests in front of the factory entrance to ask for five-month delayed wages and insurance payments.

 

HRANA’s Daily Review of Protests in Iran

On Tuesday, July 12, 2022, at least 18 protests took place in Iran.

The retirees of the Telecommunication Company of Iran held protests in front of the company headquarters in Tehran, Khorramabad, Qazvin, Shiraz, Hamedan, Javanrud, Shahrkurd, Yazd, Urmia, Tabriz, Ahvaz, Rasht, Sari and Arak.

The retirees protested against low and unpaid benefits, delays in payments and not complying with recruitment regulations.

Continuing their protests against low pensions, Iranian pensioners held a protest in front of the Governor-General Building in Shush.

A group of workers of the Tabriz Petrochemical Company gathered in front of the company’s entrance to demand closing disparities in wages and elimination of discrimination.

Imprisoned Valeh Zamani’s Condition Raises Concern

Workers’ rights activist Valeh Zamani is still in detention in Ward 240 of Evin Prison after 43 days. Despite suffering from acute liver disease, he is denied the required medical treatment.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, workers’ rights activist Valeh Zamani is detained for over 40 days in Evin Prison.

An informed source told HRANA that Zamani suffers from hepatitis C and liver disfunction.  However, Zamani cannot receive medicine and undergoes hours of interrogation.

On May 30, 2022, intelligence agents arrested Zamani in Urmia and transferred him to Evin Prison.

The reason for his arrest is still unknown. 

Five Years Prison Sentence of Mohammad-Khaled Hamzehpour Upheld by Court of Appeals

Recently, the Court of Appeal of West Azerbaijan Province upheld the verdict against Mohammad-Khaled Hamzehpour. Earlier, Hamzepour had been sentenced to five years imprisonment by the Revolutionary Court of Oshnavieh.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting the Center of Democracy and Human Rights in Kurdistan, the five years sentence against Mohammad-Khaled Hamzehpour, a resident of Oshnavieh, was upheld on appeal.

Hamzehpour and four others had been charged with “membership in an anti-regime group.”

On December 14, 2020, security forces arrested Hamzehpour and took him to a detention facility in Urmia. On December 24 of that year, he was released on bail.

During detention, these individuals were denied access to a lawyer and family visits. 

Individual Arrested for Writing Anti-regime Slogan on Wall

An individual was arrested for writing slogans on the Ministry of Intelligence’s wall and setting his own car on fire in Azerbaijan Province’s Urmia City. A video circulated on social media showed a security agent pointing a gun at him.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, on Tuesday, May 3, 2022, a citizen was arrested for writing a slogan on the wall and setting his vehicle on fire. 

As an act of protest, this unidentified individual first set his vehicle which was parked by the Ministry of Intelligence on fire in Urmia and then began to write slogans on the wall of the ministry’s office.

 The media outlets inside Iran and officials have not reacted to this incident so far. Yet, a video showing a security agent pointing a gun toward the protestor from about a short distance has become viral on social media.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Now is definitely not the time to stop reading!

Omar Sharifi Bukani Arrested in Tehran and Transferred to Unknown Location

On Thursday, November 11, security forces arrested Tehran resident Omar Sharifi Bukani and then transferred him to an unidentified location.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Kurdpa, security forces arrested 70-year-old Sharifi Bukani without a warrant at his home in Tehran.

Mr. Sharifi Bukani was reportedly arrested once previously, in 1992, on a charge of “membership in one of the opposition political parties” and then sentenced to seven years in prison by the Revolutionary Court of Mahabad City. He was released in 1998 after serving out his sentence in Urmia Prison.

The reasons for yesterday’s arrest, along with Mr. Sharifi Bukani’s current whereabouts, are unknown as of this writing.

Man Shot Dead by Regime’s Military Forces in Border Area of Urmia County

Earlier this Tuesday, November 2, a man was shot dead by military forces in border areas of Urmia county.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Kurdpa, the victim has been identified as Veisi Badini, a resident of the village Soorkan. Badini was married and has two children.

Military forces reportedly began to shoot directly towards Veisi Badini, who was pasturing livestock, without any warning beforehand. In the aftermath of their shooting, the forces did not allow any medical treatment, which led to his death from bleeding. As of yet, they have refused to deliver the body to Badini’s family.

HRANA’s annual human rights report has specifically documented cases in which military forces’ use of live ammunition against citizens has led to their injury or death.

According to the 2020 report, 36 cross-border laborers (kolbars), 5 cross-border fuel carriers (sukhtbar) and 33 other citizens have been shot dead by military forces and border guards in the last year. In addition, 130 people have been injured of which 109 are kolbars, 5 are sukhtbars, and 16 are citizens.

Political Prisoner Saeed Sangar Released After 21 Years in Prison

On Saturday, October 30, political prisoner Saeed Sangar was released on parole from Urmia Prison.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Sangar’s release comes after 21 years of imprisonment.

On August 31, 2000, Sangar was arrested. However, in his legal case, October 29 of that year has been wrongly recorded as the arrest date.

On November 18, 2000, the Revolutionary Court of Sanandaj, headed by judge Fatemi, sentenced him to death on the charge of “enmity against God (Moharebeh) through membership in The People’s Mujahedin Organization of Iran”. Following this conviction, Sangar was transferred from the detention center of the ministry of intelligence in Sanandaj to ward 209 of Evin Prison in Tehran, where he was held in solitary confinement cells until 2003. In the fall of 2003, the appellate court changed the verdict to life imprisonment and sent him to Urmia Prison.

Years later, on December 23, 2016, the executive branch No. 4 of the Department of Justice in Sanandaj reduced the verdict to 18 years imprisonment.

In 2017, a new case was opened against him for the charge of “propaganda against the regime”  of which, however, he was later acquitted.

Despite that by December of 2020, not only he had served out two years more than his 18-years sentence, he was sentenced again to 11 months imprisonment sentence on the charge of ” propaganda against the regime and in favor of dissident groups against the regime”. This sentence was reduced to eight months, which led to his final release this Saturday, October 30.

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 23

A group of contracted teachers and educators from the counties of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province assembled in front of the government building in Shahrekord to protest this year layoffs.

“126 teachers have been fired this academic year,” one protestor stated at the demonstration. “These layoffs happened only to the educators of this province. The teachers with the same conditions, all over the county, continue their work.”, he added.

Sunday, October 24

Workers for a heap leaching project at the copper mine Sungun Varzaghan assembled and protested their unpaid benefits this Sunday. 

Monday, October 25

In various cities across the country, judiciary personnel assembled in front of their local justice buildings and protested worsening job conditions and the failure of authorities to address their demands.

These protests were held in Tehran, Zanjan, Hamedan, Qom, Arak, Babol, Borujerd, Chaedgan, Firuzabad, Kerman, Khandab, Kuhrang, Meybod, Lenjan, Sari, Mehr, Nahavand, Urmia, Paveh, Rumeshkan, Semirom, Shahrekord, Shirvan,Shut, Taft, Razan, Eslamshahr, and Tuyserkan.

A group of patients with the blood disorder thalassemia assembled in front of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education building in Tehran. They protested the shortage of medicine and the institution’s shortcomings in addressing their issues.

A number of retirees on the pension fund of steel corporation Fulad traveled from various cities to Tehran and assembled in front of the pension fund building. As a symbolic act, they spread tablecloths without any food to show they hardly afford living costs. They asked for a pension above the poverty line, free medical treatment and closing the gap in pension incomes. They claimed that Fulad’s pension fund has breached regulations.

A group of teachers and educators in Rafsanjan City who has passed the recruitment exam taken by the Ministry of Education assembled in front of the building of this ministry in Rafsanjan.

“We are 62 teachers and all have been passed the recruitment exam, nonetheless, we have not been recruited,” one of the teachers commented. He added,  “Given that the Ministry of Education needed more than 200 teachers and there are a lot of local labour forces to be hired, why do they recruit from other cities?”

A number of athletes and paralympic medalists assembled in front of the government building in Damghan City. They protested the mismanagement of the county Ministry of Sport and Youth, as well as a shortage of sports facilities. According to these protestors, the sport salon allocated to them is often closed and each time they have to wait three hours for using the salon.

Bus and minibus drivers working in the transportation service of Southern Pars (Asaluyeh and Bandar-e Kangan) assembled outside the premises of the refineries. They protested against low wages in comparison to increasing transportation costs.

“Our wage is lower in comparison to the vehicle depreciation costs,” one protestor said, “and even though it is not enough, they delay payment.”

A number of young job seekers in Shushtar city assembled in front of the Karun Agro-industry Complex. They asked for recruitment of local job seekers in this industry complex. They find it unfair that, despite having several big corporation in this city, many skilled and educated workers remain jobless.

Some personnel of the Real Estate Registration Organization of Iran assembled and protested in front of the office of a member of the parliament in Qazvin.

A group of market workers in the border village Sheykh Salleh assembled to protest against the assigning  of border affairs to a non-native company.

Tuesday, October 26

A number of workers of Omidiyeh Water and Wastewater Company assembled in front of the government building of this city.

These workers said that despite promises from supervisors, they have four-month unpaid wages. Moreover, the end of year bonuses and three years end of service benefits have not been paid. They have protested several times in the past, but every time, they have not received an adequate response from authorities.

The retirees of Imam Khomeini hospital in Karaj assembled in front of this hospital to promote their demands on Tuesday.

For the second day, the retirees of the pension fund of the steel corporation Fulad assembled in front of the pension fund building in Tehran.

A group of retirees and working personnel of airline company Homa assembled in front of the building of Iran Ministry of Roads & Urban Development. They asked for fair and timely wages. According to these protestors, not only is the pension insignificant, but also there have been significant payment delays.

A number of farmers from eastern Isfahan assembled in front of the building of the Ministry of Agriculture Jihad. They protested not receiving their water shares and rights.

Workers of contractor companies delivering services like gardening, maintenance and transport for Pars Oil and Gas Company assembled in Asaluyeh to demand increased wages, supplementary insurance, and implementation of the Job Classification plan.

In Isfahan and Yazd Provinces, a number of people with hearing impairment assembled in front of the buildings of the State Welfare Organization of Iran. They cited livelihood problems, including denial of right to housing and insurance, as the reasons for their protest.

Wednesday, October 27

For the third consecutive day, a group of workers of Gachsaran Petrochemical Company protested at their workplace and then in front of the government building of Gachsaran.

They said that the contractors discriminates against the native laborers and threatens them to be fired. Reportedly, these contractor companies have raised the wage of non-native labor but not the native ones.

Some personnel of the Azad University, unit “Yadegare Imam” in Shahr-e-Rey city assembled and protested at the university premises to protest ongoing mismanagement. Reportedly, this protest turned somewhat violent.

A number of people who have lost their money in their accounts with Cryptoland, a cryptocurrency exchange, protested in front of the Tehran Courthouse. They demanded that legal processing return their losses.

A number of disabled war veterans assembled in front of the building of the Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs in Tehran. They protested poor living conditions and the non-implementation of some protective laws

Thursday, October 28

A number of workers of Khorramshahr municipality assembled in front of the building of the municipality to protest against a six-month delay in payment and other demands.

In Isfahan, a number of people with hearing loss assembled in front of the buildings of the State Welfare Organization of Iran.

A number of workers of the Kut-Abdollah municipality protested in front of the Governorate building of Khuzestan Province. They asked for the payment of their delayed wages.

Three Political Prisoners Transferred from Urmia Prison to an Unknown Location

Sunni political prisoners Mohyedin Ebrahimi, Mohyedin Tazehvared and Davood Jabbari were recently transferred from Urmia Prison to an unidentified location. Given that two of these prisoners have been sentenced to death, this relocation raises concerns about them.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, the whereabouts and conditions of these prisoners are unknown as of this writing. This relocation took place following the confirmation of the death sentences for Mohyeldin Ebrahimi and Mohyeldin Tazehvared. They have asked for a retrial.

On October 23, 2017, Mohyedin Ebrahimi was wounded by direct fire from an Iranian officer at Iraq’s border and arrested on a charge of smuggling alcoholic beverages. Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court of Urmia subsequently sentenced him to death. Following an overturn of the verdict by the supreme court of Iran, the case was sent back to Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court for re-examination. The supreme court confirmed the verdict, and the death sentence was upheld.

On October 29, 2018, Mohyedin Tazehvared was arrested by security forces and transferred to Urmia Prison until the end of legal proceedings. He was also sentenced to death by Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court of Urmia. Until now, his request for a retrial has not been answered.

On June 4, 2017, Davood Jabbari was arrested and then sentenced to 18 years imprisonment on the charge of “membership in ISIS (Daesh)”.