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 Inmates Executed in Zanjan, One in Zahedan

Last Wednesday, October 13, three inmates who had previously been sentenced to death on drug-related charges were hanged in Zanjan Prison.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Iran Human Rights, 41-year-old Hamed Jafar-Zadeh, 39-year-old Soheil Hojjat-Far,  and Yunes (last name unknown ) were executed in Zanjan Prison.

The Baloch Activists Campaign also reported the execution of one inmate in Zahedan Prison on Monday, October 18. According to this report, two days ago, Musa Sheh-bakhsh was transferred to a solitary confinement cell in order to be executed. The charges for which he was convicted are still unknown.

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, including three 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 carried-out executions, dubbed as “secret executions” by human rights organizations.

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

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, October 2

This Saturday and Sunday, a group of environmental activists of Sanandaj in the vicinity of Vahdat Dam gathered to protest against the years-long negligence from local authorities in addressing the area’s unsafe drinking water. Because of the city water is contaminated, residents are forced to carry water from the springs surrounding the city.

Sunday, October 3

Employees of coal mining company Pabdana in Kerman Province assembled this Sunday at their workplace entrance gate and protested the company’s low wages, arguing that, compared to state-owned mining companies, private companies such as Pabdana pay employees less for longer hours.

About 400 drivers of the transport unit of South Zagros Oil and Gas Production Company, for a second consecutive day, assembled to protest the company’s decision to change their contracts. The new agreements are set up so that that workers will  be employed by a contractor rather than the company, meaning lower wages and fewer benefits.

In Bandar Imam Khomeini, a number of workers working for subsidiary companies of Persian Gulf Holding in the petrochemical special zone assembled to protest against wage discrimination. They asked for a direct contract with the company rather than contractors who enforce lower wages and harder work.

The retirees of the Social Security Organization assembled in front of this organization’s buildings in cities of Ahvaz, Rasht, Kermanshah, KHORAM-Abad, Tehran, Mashhad, Tabriz, and Qazvin, to ask for their demands. Their demands included levelling up pensions in proportion with the poverty line, enforcing the equating wages act, enforcing Article 96 of Social Security Act, addressing the issues regarding supplementary insurance, receiving end-of-year bonuses and taking work records in difficult-dirty-and-dangerous jobs into pension calculations.

A number of teachers and educators protested in front of the Parliament building in Tehran and the Ministry of Education’s buildings in the cities of Ahvaz, Shiraz, Zanjan, Darab, Bandar-Abbas and Isfahan. They asked for better enforcement of the Equating Wages Act for retirees and the Ranking Plan Act.

Personnel of the Municipality of Khorramshahr assembled in front of the government building to protest against a 6-month payment delay and a 10-month-unpaid insurance premium.

Retirees of the steel company Fulad protested in front of the company’s headquarters in Isfahan and Khuzestan provinces. They asked for levelling up their pension in proportion with the poverty line and enforcing the Equating Wages Act and addressing the problems of supplementary insurance.

A number of Haft-Tappeh’s workers continued to protest on the sixth day of their strike.

Monday, October 4

A number of students and alumni of pharmacology assembled in front of the building of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education in Tehran to protest against the monopoly on establishing pharmacies. They asked for the acceleration in enforcing the new regulations thereby the establishment of pharmacies in deprived areas would be facilitated.

On the seventh day, the workers of Haft-Tappeh company went out on strike. They assembled in front of the governorate building in Shush city.

Several workers for private coal mining companies in Kuhbanan county went on strike for the sixth consecutive day at their place of work. The workers said that, despite higher productivity and better quality of coal, they have been paid 4 to 5 million tomans less than workers of state-owned companies. Reportedly, in Kuhbanan County, more than 3000 workers are working for these private coal mining companies.

A group of personnel of social emergency workers of state welfare organization assembled in front of the parliament in Tehran and demanded changing work contract party from private to state section as well as the approval of the social emergency bill by parliament.

A group of retirees and working personnel of airline company Homa assembled in front of the building of Planning and Budget Organization. The retirees said that, despite promises from their supervisors, pensionsv for last month have not  been paid.

Tuesday, October 4

On the eighth day of their strike, Haft-Tappeh’s workers assembled in front of the governorate building in Shush city and then marched through the streets.

More than 500 workers of private companies, who are working on copper mining Sungun Varzaghan, assembled and went out on strike against low wages and hard work conditions.

Workers of the petrochemical special zone, including Persian Gulf Holding, assembled and demanded equal wage for equal work according to article 38 of Iran’s labour code and ILO Convention No. 100.

Wednesday, October 5

In response to recent violence against women (such as Faezeh Maleki-Nia who was burned to death by her father) and the negligence of the police and judiciary to prosecute and punish the offenders, a group of civil activists assembled in front of the Building of the Ministry of Justice in Sanandaj.

On the ninth day of the strike, in Shush city, Haft-Tappeh workers assemble again in front of the governorate building and then marched toward the building of the ministry of the judiciary.

For the second day, workers of private companies working on copper mining Sungun Varzaghan, refused to work and assembled at their workplace. These workers had spent last night in their tents in the same place of assembly.

 

Thursday, October 6

Following the protest of women in Sanandaj on previous day, several women protested in Marivan and asked that the case of Faezeh Maleki-Nia (who was burned by her father) be addressed, and called for an end to violence against women.

In Khorramshahr, a number of citizens assembled to protest against negligence and shortcomings of the municipality in collecting garbage. As a demonstration of protest, they piled up garbage bags in front of the municipality building.

In their tenth days of strike, Haft-Tappeh workers continued to protest in front of the governorate building in Shush.

A number of workers of Non-Industrial Operations Company Pazargad in Pardis Jam Town went out on strike at the workplace.

 

 

 

Inmate Executed in Zanjan Prison on Drug-Related Charges

This Tuesday, September 21, Mr. Jodat Rabt (Jodatian) was executed in Zanjan Prison on drug-related charges.

According to the HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Kurdpa, Rabt was a native of Sheshmal village in the Urmia area. He was a husband and father of three.

Rabt was arrested four years ago on drug-related charges and later sentenced to death by the judiciary.

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.

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Sufi Prisoner Hossein Mohammadi Executed in Zanjan Prison on Charge of Murder

On Sunday, July 18, a prisoner who had previously been sentenced to death for murder was executed in Zanjan Prison.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting the Iran Human Rights (IHR), the Sufi prisoner has been identified as 58-year-old Hossein Mohammadi.

According to this report, Mohammadi was arrested about 9 years ago on murder charges and was being held in prison up until his execution yesterday.

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 Mohammadi has not been announced by Iranian media or official sources as of this writing.

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 against the results of cities’ local elections and inadequate labor conditions. This week also featured the continuation of widespread labor strikes across the country. The oil industry, petrochemical industry and power stations experienced strikes in Abadan, Isfahan, Assaluyeh, Kerman, Qeshm Island, Yasuj, Bid Boland, and Urmia and Bushehr. Below is a brief recap and footage from some of the week’s demonstrations.

 

Saturday and Sunday, June 19-20

Several citizens in Yasuj protested the results of the city’s local elections in front of the Boyer-Ahmad government building.  A group of Tehran Metro staff held protest rallies in front of the metro operating company in Tehran. Project workers of Farab Company of Bidkhoon refinery in Assaluyeh went on strike and left their jobs.

 

Citizens in Yasuj:

 

Tehran Metro staff:

 

Project workers in Bidkhoon refinery in Assaluyeh:

 

Monday and Tuesday, June 21-22

9 protest rallies and 11 workers’ strikes took place. A group of pharmacists in front of the Ministry of Health building in Tehran. Workers of Pars Tire in Saveh in Markazi Province rallied in front of the local factory. Workers of Sepahan Cement Company protested at their workplace, and a group of resident doctors in protested in the cities of Tehran, Urmia, Zanjan, Babol, Shiraz and Tabriz. Workers in Tehran Oil Refinery, Gachsaran Petrochemical Company, phases 13 and 14 of Assaluyeh, phase 13 of Kangan, Lidoma Company located in phase 13 of South Pars, AJC Company working in Abadan Refinery, Bidboland Refinery of Behbahan, Bushehr Petrochemical Company, Sina Palayesh Company Qeshm Island, and workers of Tehran Metro Line 5 went on strike.

 

Workers of Bidboland Gas Refinery in Behbahan:

 

 

Workers of Gachsaran Petrochemical Company:

 

Workers of Tehran Oil Refinery:

 

Workers of Lidoma Company located in phase 13 of South Pars:

 

Pharmacists in Tehran:

 

Resident doctors in Tehran, Urmia, Zanjan, Babol, Shiraz and Tabriz:

Pars Tire workers:

 

Wednesday, June 23

Workers of recently-closed stoning units of Hana Industrial Town located in Neyriz city in Fars gathered in front of the city government building. A group of employees of Ramin power station in Ahvaz city in front of the office building of the station, and a group of employees of Abadan refinery in front of the entrance door.

 

Ramin power station workers in Ahvaz:

Abadan refinery employees:

 

Thursday, June 24

Several residents of Maravneh village of Ahvaz city,  workers of Mapna 3 Qeshm power Station continued their participation in the nationwide protests of the workers of the country’s oil industry.

 

Mapna 3 power Station employees:

Residents of Maravneh village:

 

Friday, June 25

Workers of refineries, petrochemicals and power plants, workers of Yazd Steel, went on strike.

Citizen Detained by Security Forces in Zanjan Province

On June 17, Amir Hossein Abedi, a native of Abhar in Zanjan Province, was arrested by security forces and taken to an unknown location.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, 33-year-old Amir Hossein Abedi, son of Niatullah, is married and has three young children.

Despite repeated follow-ups by Abedi’s family, there has been no response from security agencies or the judiciary regarding the reasons for Mr. Abedi’s detention, his whereabouts, the organization in charge of his arrest, or his current condition.

 

Ramin Sa’adat Beiglou Executed in Qazvin Prison

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Iran Human Rights (IHR), On June 20, Ramin Sa’adat Beiglou, a resident of Zanjan who had previously been sentenced to death for murder, was executed in Qazvin Central Prison.

The report quoted an informed source as saying, “Ramin has been in prison since 2017 on charges of murdering a person who owed Ramin 10 million tomans (less than $200).”

According to international organizations, Iran has the highest rate of citizen executions per-capita. Based on HRANA’s Statistics and Publication Center, during a one year period (January 1, 2020, to December 20, 2020), at least 236 citizens were executed from which two were juvenile offenders, and one case was a public execution. An additional 95 citizens were sentenced to death.

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

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

Citizen Sentenced to Death under Qisas (Eye-for-an-Eye) Principle of Shariah Law

A citizen was recently sentenced to death under the Qisas (roughly translated as eye-for-an-eye) principle of Shariah Law.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), the citizen was sentenced after confessing to the murder of two park rangers in Zanjan.

Hossein Absalan, Director-General of the Department of Environmental in Zanjan Province, said, “The accused in the murder of two park rangers has been sentenced to death by a verdict issued by the judge.”

Absalan further stated, “Based on the evidence, according to the Iranian Police Criminal Investigation Department of Zanjan, given the explicit confession of the arrested defendant to the murder of the two rangers, the judge has sentenced the defendant to death under Qisas.”