HRANA’s Daily Review of Protests in Iran

On Saturday, July 2, 2022, fourteen protests took place in Iran. Read our review below for details, photos, and videos from these demonstrations:

Continuing their protests against the insufficient annual pension increase, the pensioners rallied in Shushtar, Shush, Zanjan, Isfahan, Sari, Dezful, Karaj, Ahvaz, Abadan, Khorramabad, Hamedan and Kerman. They chanted slogans against the government and called the president a liar for failing to keep his promises. In Arak, the protest turned violent by security forces.

A number of citizens, who have lost their money in the recent robbery of Iran Safe Deposit Boxes of Melli Bank, protested in front of the central building of the Judiciary in Tehran. They demanded the return of their stolen money.

On June 6, 2022, dozens of safe deposit boxes from Melli Bank were stolen by some burglars. One day after, a protest took place, which turned violent by security forces. According to some witnesses, the police and security agents used live ammunition against the protestors.

 

Daily Review of Protests in Iran

On Monday, June 20, 2022, a number of protests took place in different cities across Iran.

The laid-off workers of Ahan Ajin Mining Company, working in the Sungun copper mine, gathered and protested before this company office.

The Social Security Organization’s pensioners continued their protest for levelling up pensions in the cities of Kerman, Rasht and Zanjan.

A number of workers of the Lali Municipality in Khuzestan Province gathered and protested against delayed wags and insurance payments.

A group of truck owners protested in front of the Fuel Transportation Management department to ask for their demands.

In Urmia city, a number of garbage truck drivers staged a strike in protest against low wages.

In Mashhad, the drivers of the Negin Pakhsh Company went on strike to ask for their demands.

Two Inmates Executed in Mashhad and Kerman Prisons

Two inmates were recently executed in Mashhad and Kerman Prisons.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Rasank News, in two separate cases, Emrahim Narooie and Heydar Gholjaie, both residents of Zahedan County, were executed in Mashhad and Kerman Prisons respectively. They had been sentenced to death on drug-related charges.

On Sunday, November 28,  Narooie was executed in Mashhad Prison. Gholjaie was executed in Kerman Prison on Thursday, November 25.

Reportedly, Heydar Gholjaie visited his family before his execution. In 2018, he was arrested at a checkpoint on the road connecting Bam City to Kerman for carrying drugs. Since then he had been jailed in Kerman Prison.

The most recent report of the Statistics and Publication Center of the Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA) states that between October 8 of 2020 and October 9 of 2021, at least 266 citizens, three of whom were juvenile offenders, were executed and 90 citizens were sentenced to death.

As the report points out, Iran’s judicial authorities have not publicly announced over 82% of executions. These unreported executions are dubbed as “secret executions” by human rights organizations.

Official sources and news outlets inside Iran have not reported on these executions as of this writing.

 

 

Three Inmates Executed in Rajai Shahr and Kerman Prisons

This week, in addition to juvenile offender Arman Abdolali, three inmates were executed in Rajai Shahr and Kerman Prisons.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting ISNA, an inmate who was previously convicted of murder was executed in Rajai Shahr Prison in Karaj on Wednesday, November 24. At the same time, three other inmates, after being sent to the foot of the gallows, were able to obtain additional time from the “blood avengers” at the very last minute, and were sent back to their cells.

Reportedly, the executed man was personnel of a contracting company working for Tehran municipality. As part of his duty, he stopped a van driver, who was working as a scrap metal collector, to check his permit for this work. The verbal quarrel ends up in a fight between them. During the fight, the van driver was hit in the head, fainted and subsequently died from the fracture in his head in hospital.

According to the victim’s son, who witnessed the incident, the man hit his father’s head with brass knuckles led to his death. Despite recognizing the homicide as a semi-deliberate killing by the judge in the first trial, the Supreme Court overturned the verdict. In the second trial, he was sentenced to death and the verdict was confirmed by the Supreme Court. He had been sent to the gallows the previous year, but was that time able to obtain some more time from the blood avengers before being executed.

In Kerman Prison, according to Rasank news, on Thursday, November 25, two inmates, who have been identified as Abdolsattar She-Baksh and Khan-Mohammad Rahman-Zehi, were executed. They have been charged with drug-related crimes. Both had been in jail for three years.

The most recent report of the Statistics and Publication Center of the Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA) states that between October 8 of 2020 and October 9 of 2021, at least 266 citizens, three of whom were juvenile offenders, were executed and 90 citizens were sentenced to death.

As the report points out, Iran’s judicial authorities do not publicly announce over 82% of executions. These unreported executions are known as “secret executions” by human rights organizations.

Four Inmates Executed in Prisons in Shiraz, Rasht and Kerman

Four inmates were recently executed in Adel-Abad Prison in Shiraz, Lakan Prison in Rasht and Kerman Prison.

On Thursday, November 18, two inmates who had been convicted of murder were executed in Lakan Prison in Rasht city, and another inmate who had previously been sentenced to death on drug-related charges was executed in Kerman Prison.

Additionally, last Sunday, November 14, an inmate who was previously convicted of murder was executed in Adel-Abad Prison in Shiraz City.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Iran Human Rights Organization, Mostafa Asadpur and Mojtaba Bagheri, 35 and 40 years old respectively, were executed in Lakan Prison in Rasht.

“The prison officials announced that the executions will be carried out next Saturday but they executed them today on Thursday,” the report quoted from an informed source.

The Baloch Activists Campaign reports that Shams-e-din Gholjai the resident of Zahden was executed in Zahedan Prison.

In another report, Maarouf Gholipur, who was 41 years old and a resident of Kazerun City, was executed in Adel-Abad Prison in Shiraz.

The most recent report of the Statistics and Publication Center of the Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA) states that between October 8 of 2020 and October 9 of 2021, at least 266 citizens, three of whom were juvenile offenders, were executed and 90 citizens were sentenced to death.

As the report points out, Iran’s judicial authorities do not publicly announce over 82% of executions. These unreported executions are known as “secret executions” by human rights organizations.

None of these executions have been reported by official sources in Iran as of this writing.

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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, 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.

More than 3,000 Nomadic Students in the Country have Dropped out of School

According to the HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting ILNA, Seifi, the Director-General of Nomadic Education section in the Ministry of Education, announced the existence of 3,626 students who dropped out of school among students in tribes.

“The highest number of students who dropped out of school is in the provinces of West Azerbaijan with 1,061 students, Lorestan Province with 566 students, and Kerman with 265 students,” Seifi said. “Currently, more than 75,743 nomadic students are deprived of having access to Shad network to use virtual education due to lack of necessary infrastructure. During the last academic year, 72% of our nomadic schools were held in person. Provinces with better infrastructure had the highest rates of virtual classes.”

Seifi further noted, “Nomadic students of West Azerbaijan Province were left out of education due to their inability to purchase textbooks. This province has 32000 nomad students from which a large number of nomadic female students in this province did not enroll in school due to inability to purchase textbooks.”

Two Inmates Executed in Kerman Prison on Drug-Related Charges

Two prisoners who were previously sentenced to death on drug-related charges were executed in Kerman Prison yesterday morning, Monday, August 9.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting The Baloch Activists Campaign, the identities of the prisoners are Nabi Noti Zehi and Ebrahim Ghanbarzehi from Zahedan in Sistan and Baluchestan Province.

Iran ranks first in the world in citizen executions per capita, according to international organizations. The Statistics and Publication Center of the Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA) reported that between January 1 and December 20 of 2020, at least 236 citizens were executed.

One of these citizens was executed publicly, and two were juvenile offenders. An additional 95 citizens were sentenced to death.

According to the same report, more than 72% of executions in Iran are not reported by the government or the judiciary, which human rights organizations call “secret” executions.

The execution of these prisoners has not been announced by Iranian media or official sources as of this writing.

Prisoner Released from Gallows After Forgiveness from Parents

A prisoner in the city of Jiroft in Kerman Province, who had previously been sentenced to death for the murder of his brother, was released from the gallows after his family expressed their forgiveness.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Rokna News, a prisoner in the city of Jiroft in Kerman Province was saved from execution following the pardon of his parents.

Mohammad Reza Sharifi, head of the Jiroft Prison Administration, commented on the reversal of the prisoner’s fate.

“With the efforts of the Dispute Resolution Council and the Peace and Reconciliation Committee of the prison, the family of the victim, including his parents, wife, and children, expressed their consent and forgiveness,” Sharifi added, “and the prisoner was released from execution.”

Sharifi stated that the prisoner had murdered his brother with a firearm in one of the villages of Jiroft city in September 2019 due to family disputes, and had been in Jiroft Prison for almost 2 years.

“Due to the consent of the parents, the imprisonment due to the general aspect of the crime was reduced from ten years to three years with a reduction of the sentence, and during the meeting of the prison classification council, it was agreed to employ this prisoner.”

HRANA Recap: This Week’s Protests in Iran

Saturday, June 26

Following the nationwide strikes of contract workers of refineries, petrochemicals and power plants, workers of Rijal Petrochemical Complex located in Mahshahr Special Zone, workers of the ODCC working in Isfahan Oil Refinery, and workers of Phase 2 of Bidboland Gas Refinery of Behbahan (ODCC) joined the movement. Kerman ranchers, and political and civil activists of Tehran also held protest rallies.

ODCC workers in Isfahan:

 

Regal petrochemical workers in Bandar-e-Imam:

 

Political and civil activists in Tehran:

Ranchers in Kerman:

 

Sunday, June 27

Workers of Gamma Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Company in Jask terminal, workers of Sazeh Pod Company working in Bushehr Petrochemical Company, radiograph workers of Nima Azmoun Steel, Radiography Companies, Pishtazan Aria, and Pioneers of Fars Technologies working in Phase 2 of Abadan Refinery, went on strike and joined the “Strike” movement.

A number of other protests happened as well. A group of shareholders of Azerbaijan Automotive Industry Company (Azovico), several official employees of Shiraz Oil Refinery, a group of pest control workers of Haft Tappeh Sugar Company, retirees of the Isfahan Steel Company and Khuzestan Steel Company, Homa Airlines retirees, a group of teachers of Green Score Letter, a group of retired workers, ranchers in Isfahan, Yazd, Fars and Khorasan Razavi provinces, a group of Izeh Azad University students, several businesses in Iranshahr, and workers at truck-washing and disinfection sites all staged protest rallies to call on their demands be addressed.

 

Workers of Gamma Oil, Engineering and Construction Companies Association of Oil, and Gas and Petrochemical Company:

 

Bushehr petroleum workers:

 

Abadan refinery workers:

 

Shareholders of Azerbaijan Automotive Industry:

 

Parsian petroleum workers in Shiraz:

Pest control workers:

Retirees of the Isfahan Steel Company and Khuzestan Steel Company:

Homa Airlines retirees:

Teachers of Green Score Letter:

 

Ranchers of Isfahan, Yazd, Fars and Khorasan Razavi provinces

Retirees seeking social security:

Workers at truck-washing and disinfection:

Students of Izeh University:

Monday, June 28

East Azarbaijan Railway technical workers,  a group of Isfahan farmers, bankrupted shareholders of Samen coin, and a group of MG car remitters, a group of truck drivers in Ardakan city went on strike to protest the non-fulfillment of their demands. Teachers at Green Score Letter also gathered in protest for the second day in a row.

Shareholders of Samen coin:

 

MG car remitters:

 Technical construction workers of East Azerbaijan railway:

Green Score Letter teachers:

 

Isfahan Farmers:

Ardakan truck drivers:

 

Tuesday, June 29

Workers of Arta Energy Company working in Ardabil Petrochemical Company, workers of Andimeshk Power Plant, Lamerd Refinery workers and Lordegan Petrochemical Workers, Azad University professors, a group of Kaveh company shareholders, a group of servants and caretakers of Mashhad schools, a group of dermatology assistants of medical universities, a group of school teachers, a group of green resume teachers, and a number of medical students and physicians in different cities of the country, including Kerman, Hamedan, Kermanshah, Isfahan, Shiraz and Tehran, held protest rallies.

Andimeshk Power Plant employees:

 

Ardabil Petrochemical Company employees:

 

Lamerd Refinery workers:

 

 Green Score Letter teachers:

University professors:

Physicians and medical students in different cities:

Kaveh company shareholders:

School janitors in Mashhad:

Dermatologists and assistants:

School teachers:

Wednesday, June 30

North Azadegan Oil workers, employees of Sepahan Isfahan Cement Factory, a group of retirees of the bus company, a group of taxi drivers in Saqez, a group of journalists, and a group of official employees of Gachsaran Oil and Gas Company held protest rallies.

Taxi drivers in Saqez:

Sepahan Isfahan Cement Factory workers:

Bus company retirees:

Journalists:

 

Gachsaran Oil and Gas Company employees:

 

Thursday, July 1

A group of employees of Persian Gulf Holding Petrochemical Companies, and retirees of Isfahan Telecommunication Company held protest rallies.

Isfahan Telecommunication Company workers: