Students and farmers held protests this weekend against the regime’s repressive practices in a continuation of the resistance movement that began in December 2017.

Protest by Tehran University Students

Late Saturday night, students at Tehran University gathered in front of the university dormitory to protest the illegal eviction of one of the dorm residents.

Although the rally was peaceful, police and repressive security forces stationed at the university feared that the protest would spread and attacked the students with suppressive force. The students resisted the efforts to disperse the crowd and continued their protest.

#Iran’s popular protests more dangerous than foreign threats: regime official https://t.co/a4xDFmvj9F#IranProtests

— Iran News Wire (@IranNW) May 20, 2019

Saturday’s rally was the most recent in a series of protests by Tehran University students over arbitrary rules governing student housing. In February, students at the university held a number of protests after officials canceled the housing of several students who were living in the married students’ dormitory.

Protest by Garlic Farmers

On Sunday, garlic farmers in the city of Parsabad Moghan, Ardabil Province, gathered to protest the low prices they are being paid for their crops and the entry of government-associated dealers into the industry.

Farmers in the northwestern province have been forced to stand in line for hours to sell their crops at prices that do not cover their own costs. In protest of this injustice, the farmers blocked a road leading to the city and demanded that local authorities address their concerns and take action to remedy the situation.

Clashes reported as farmers protest in Isfahan, central #Iran.#IranProtestshttps://t.co/sApkriJUYW

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) January 2, 2019

Iranian farmers have been protesting corrupt regime practices in various provinces for well over a year. The farmers of Isfahan Province staged a number of protests over the building of factories on the Zayanderud River upstream of their farms. The factories, which are owned by the regime and Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)-controlled companies, divert water from the river, which left the farmers without water for their crops. Farmers in Isfahan blocked roads with their tractors and protested wearing grave shrouds to demand water rights.

Farmers in Lorestan Province have protested the seizure of agricultural lands by the regime. Farmers in Lordegan, Chaharmahal, and Bakhtiari provinces have protested against the unfair distribution of chemical fertilizer.

Farmers across Iran were hit hard by the devastating floods last month, with many seeing their lands completely destroyed. The regime has offered little to address their economic concerns, and many of the farmers may see no assistance in rebuilding their farms or restoring the income from their lost crops.

Iran is in a state of economic and social upheaval, and the clerical regime’s efforts to suppress dissent have been ineffective. On the contrary, these attempts to quell the rising tide of rebellion have only served to increase the people’s motivation to rise up and overthrow their oppressors.

The resistance movement in Iran has grown dramatically since the anti-regime uprising in December 2017, which spread to 142 cities in every province in a two week period. The MEK has been instrumental in the growth of this movement and continues to organize and lead the path to a free Iran. There is an alternative.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Protests resumed on Thursday in several cities in Iran as citizens continue to express their dissatisfaction with the regime’s corruption and the escalating economic crises facing the country.

Protests have been taking place regularly among Iranians from all walks of life since December of 2017, when the widespread uprising began which brought thousands of people from every province into the streets to demand regime change. The regime has been unable to respond to the people’s demands with anything other than false promises, threats, and intimidation, leaving the people more and more restless and ready for change.

More people across #Iran are protesting the mullahs' unbridled corruption.#IranProtestshttps://t.co/vkA1RrNSEV

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) January 25, 2019

The MEK and its resistance units have played a key role in organizing and leading the protests and demonstrations and in spreading word of protest activity on social media.

MEK Resistance Units Increasing Activities

Marivan Municipal Workers

Municipal workers in Marivan, Kurdistan Province gathered in front of the city’s municipality building for their fourth consecutive day of protests. The workers are protesting nine months of unpaid wages.

The Marivan Municipal workers have staged several protests over the past year in response to their unpaid wages. During this latest round of protests, the workers have laid out empty tablecloths in front of the mayor’s office to symbolize the fact that the lack of pay means that workers are unable to feed their families.

#BREAKING
August 26 – Marivan, western #Iran
Despite authorities dispatching a large number of security units, locals are turning the burial ceremony for activists killed yesterday into an anti-regime rally.
People from nearby cities & villages are heading towards Marivan. pic.twitter.com/9Yy9dgAu6E

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) August 26, 2018

The state-run Tasnim News Agency reported that some of the workers have worked for as long as 21 months without pay. Local officials have still not responded to the workers’ demands or done anything to remedy the situation.

Lordegan, Chaharmahal, and Bakhtiari Farmers

Farmers in the provinces of Lordegan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari protested against the unfair distribution of chemical fertilizer.

Khoram Abad Farmers

In Khoram Abed, Lorestan Province, farmers gathered in front of the governorate to protest the seizure of agricultural land along the Khoram Abad-Kouhdasht road by the Industry and Agriculture Complex.

Unemployed Abadan Youth

A group of unemployed young people in Abadan, Khuzestan Province held a demonstration on Amiri Street to protest against rapidly escalating prices and the high unemployment rate in Iran.

Abadan Street Vendors

A group of street vendors in Abadan demonstrated in Khomeini Street. The dislocated vendors demanded that they be allowed to return to the locations where they previously sold their merchandise.

The municipality in Abadan has recently prohibited these vendors from selling their products, claiming that they were reorganizing the street. The street vendors brought their children to the protests on Thursday to show that the municipality’s actions were affecting families.

The vendors carried banners that read:

“If you’re not giving us jobs, don’t take away our jobs!”

“Inflation, high prices, our lives in crisis!”

“Fellow citizens be aware, we’re merchants not thugs!”

#Iranian regime’s war against street vendors
Street vendors are continuously facing restrictions & attacks by authorities. 88% of them are constantly having scuffles with the municipality & 67% of them have had their merchandise ransacked at least once.pic.twitter.com/mbhk62M2rz

— Iran News Wire (@IranNW) October 20, 2018

The MEK and the Iranian Resistance support the people of Iran in their protests against the corrupt regime. The problems of unpaid wages, high unemployment, government corruption, and widespread poverty will continue until the ruling regime is overthrown and replaced with a democratic alternative. The MEK and the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) offer a viable alternative that can end the mullahs’ reign of terror.

Staff Writer

Strikes and protests are still raging across Iran and show no sign of abating as workers continue to express their dissatisfaction with labor conditions and the ever-worsening economic crisis in the country.

Update (7:30 AM Thursday, November 29th): On Thursday morning, MEK sources inside Iran reported that security forces raided the home of Ali Nejati, one of the striking workers from the Haft Tappeh sugar mill. Nejati was arrested, and when his family asked to see the arrest warrant, they were beaten by police.

November 29 – #IranProtests

Shush, southwest #Iran
Ali Nejati, former head of the Haft Tapeh Sugarcane Mill Workers Syndicate, was arrested by security forces early this morning & transferred to an unknown location.
Nejati suffers from heart problem & is in poor conditions. pic.twitter.com/A19tDh00AI

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) November 29, 2018

The factory workers marched to the mayor’s office, chanting, “Imprisoned workers must be freed!” and “Nationalize the company!”

Iranian drivers from across the country have expressed their solidarity with the striking factory workers through video messages. One driver said, “I understand your situation. I am a driver and we too are facing harsh conditions. I stand with you and wish you the best of luck in achieving your demands.”

Haft Tappeh Sugar Factory Workers’ Strikes

Thursday was the 25th consecutive day of strikes for the factory workers at the Haft Tappeh Sugar mill in Shush. The workers are striking in protest of months of unpaid wages and the privatization of the company.

The workers published a list of their demands on their Telegram channel and in a written statement. Their demands include basic labor rights such as regular payment of salaries, employer payment of insurance fees, job security for contract workers, and provision of work tools and materials.

Protests Continue to Rage in Ahvaz and Shush

Most of the workers’ demands are already guaranteed under the Iranian regime’s labor laws, but these laws are not being enforced. For example, Iranian labor law dictates that employers are responsible for providing transportation or compensation for transportation for their employees’ commute to and from work. Haft Tappeh has ignored this regulation altogether. Employers are also required by law to provide one hot meal per shift. This law has also been disregarded by Haft Tappeh’s owners.

THREAD
November 30 – #IranProtests

Shush, southwest #Iran
Haft Tapeh sugar cane mill employees rallying for the 26th day, demanding delayed paychecks & protesting corrupt practices by the company's private owners.

Chants:
"Jailed workers must be released" pic.twitter.com/z3NQ9UFcY8

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) November 30, 2018

The regime has responded to the workers’ demands by sending suppressive forces to arrest the striking workers and by dispatching the head of the regime’s judiciary to threaten the strikers and accuse them of sedition.

The Haft Tappeh factory workers have also asked for the release of their colleague, Esmail Bakhshi, as part of their demands. Bakhshi is a spokesperson for the protesters who was arrested with several others as part of a crackdown by suppressive forces last week. After the striking workers and a growing number of supporters rallied for their release, the regime relented and released the other jailed protesters, but Bakhshi remains in custody.

Farmers’ protests enter the third month

The farmers of Isfahan are entering their third consecutive month of protests over the lack of access to water, which has wreaked havoc on agriculture in the province. Agriculture is the primary source on income in Isfahan, so virtually everyone in the region has been affected by the scarcity of water due to the drying of the Zayanderud River.

#Iran: #Isfahan farmers’ sit-in protesting deprivation of their water rights entered its third month https://t.co/26l69dkNtW #IranProtests pic.twitter.com/Po2JIKjERi

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) November 28, 2018

Isfahan’s farmers blame the water crisis on the regime’s corruption and mismanagement of the country’s water resources. Over the past two decades, the regime has diverted the Zayanderud River, which supplies water to the Isfahan region, to its factories upstream of Isfahan, leaving the once-prosperous farmers without water to irrigate their crops. This, combined with droughts, has left the farmers without a source of income.

The Isfahan farmers have protested by blocking streets with their tractors and machinery and camping in intersections of cities and towns.

On November 25th, farmers in the village of Qarnah destroyed water pipes to prevent the transfer of water from their village to other regions. Special Guard mercenaries responded by attacking the farmers with tear gas, injuring several of the protesters. The farmers chanted: “Zayandeh Rood water is our absolute right!” “We die, we do not accept humiliation!” and “The farmer is awake, he hates (empty) promises!”

Also on November 25th, farmers in Qarnah staged a sit-in at the Qarnah mosque. State security forces attacked the protesters there and broke the mosque’s windows in the process.

The striking farmers at that sit-in held banners proclaiming: “We want our water rights!” “Do not split our Zayandeh Rood!” “Is there any helper?” “Death with dignity is better than life with humiliation!”  “Until when false promises?”

The water crisis has reached such epic proportions that regime has been forced to acknowledge it, at least in part. Hasan Kamran, a member of the regime’s parliament who represents Isfahan, admitted that the Ministry of Energy has given 1,592 million cubic meters of water to Isfahan Steel, Iron and Steel and military industries, leaving the people of Isfahan to survive on wastewater. “The law of water right goes back to 1964, and the Ministry of Energy had no legal right to change it and sell the water,” he said in an October 21st interview with a state-run media outlet.

In an earlier interview with Radio Farhang, Kamran said: “For a decade, water right of the farmers of Isfahan has been plundered… We have lied to them for 10 years… On the one hand, the bank brings an arrest warrant because he (the farmer) was unable to pay his debt. On the other hand, we give his wheat money late, we don’t give him compensation, we steal his water right; who is stealing from him? The same Ministry of Energy.”

Nasser Mousavi Largani, another member of the regime’s parliament, described the current agricultural conditions of Isfahan’s farmers in dire terms. “The farmers of Ghahderijan – their land has turned into desert. They do not have bread to eat. Likewise, the farmers of Pirbakon,” he said.

Ali Bakhtiar, another member of the regime’s parliament, told the Parliament News Agency that

the number of dairy cattle has dwindled from 50-60 thousand to less than 30 thousand. “Livestock is really disappearing … 70-80% of poultry farms in the region are not used,” said Bakhtiar.

The MEK salutes Isfahan’s striking farmers and calls upon all Iranians, particularly the youth, to join in solidarity with their protests and to support them in their demands for water rights.

Staff Writer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Friday, the farmers of Khourasgan, Isfahan Province, marked their 65th day of protests with a demonstration at Khourasgan’s fruit and vegetable market.

The MEK sources in Iran report that on Thursday, farmers in East Isfahan donned white vests symbolizing grave shrouds to protest for water rights. The farmers wore the grave shrouds while they attended the Mahdieh Mosque in East Isfahan and then held a session to discuss the farmers’ concerns. The act was meant to convey the message that the farmers are ready to stand up for their rights, no matter the cost.

Farmers in Koushk, Goldasht and Jozdan, in West Isfahan also held protests.

The farmers in Isfahan Province are protesting because of a lack of access to water for their crops due to mismanagement of water resources by the Iranian regime over the past two decades.

#Iran is witnessing more protests & strikes, especially by workers & farmers.#IranProtestshttps://t.co/3UgHjn3J4G

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) November 1, 2018

The Zayanderud River once flowed through Isfahan, providing the farmers in the region with ample water to farm their crops. But over the past two decades, the regime has built factories upstream of Isfahan and diverted the river to other regions. These practices, along with a prolonged drought, have caused the river to dry up before reaching Isfahan. Now the once-prosperous farmers of Isfahan can no longer sustain their crops.

Farmers in the region have protested numerous times over the past year in defense of their right to water, but the regime has failed to make meaningful changes. To date, none of the promises made by government officials have been fulfilled.

Regime’s Incompetence Forces Once Prosperous Isfahan Farmers into Poverty

Several months ago, Isfahan’s farmers protested during Friday prayers by turning their backs to the prayer leader and chanting, “Back to the enemy, face to the country!” Since then, this chant has spread to other protests across Iran.

October 26
Najaf Abad, central #Iran
Angry farmers are holding a protest rally with their tractors, demanding answers to the issues they have long raised with local authorities.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/lwISsfxAS4

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) October 26, 2018

Isfahan’s primary industry is agriculture, so the lack of access to water affects virtually everyone in the province. The farmers of Isfahan place the blame for the situation squarely at the feet of the regime and its leaders, who have mismanaged Iran’s water resources for decades. The MEK has called Iran’s water crisis one of the country’s “super challenges.” It is clear the mullahs have no plan to address this crisis.

Staff Writer

 

The farmers of Isfahan are once again protesting water shortages and violations of their water rights. Sources from the MEK report that farmers in Varzaneh, Shatur, Ziar, and other cities in Isfahan Province gathered on Thursday to protest water shortages and lack of access to water.

November 2
Farmers east of Isfahan, central #Iran, are demanding their share of river waters & authorities responding to their outstanding demands.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/ohHpya3I4A

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) November 2, 2018

The Drying of the Zayanderud River

The Zayanderud River used to flow through Isfahan, providing the wealthy farmers in cities such as Qahdarijan with water to irrigate their crops. Then the regime drained the river by  building factories upstream of Isfahan and diverting the water to other regions. These practices, combined with a drought, caused the river to dry up. Now the once prosperous Isfahan farmers have been forced into poverty.

The city of Qahdarijan is covered in agricultural land and depends upon farming. The drying of the

Zayanderud, the largest river in central Iran, has been disastrous for the area’s economy and environment.“The water cycle has been annihilated. The entire water of the river has been allocated to industry,” said an Isfahan environmental activist in July.

October 18
Isfahan, central #Iran
Farmers holding a rally, protesting the regime's plundering policies.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/DT73utcVVK

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) October 18, 2018

The representative from the city of Falavarjan on the Isfahan Islamic Council, Hesam Nazari, discussed the impact of the water shortage on the people of Qahdarijan in an interview with the state-run ILNA news agency.

“The city of Falavarjan has about 270 thousand inhabitants and has three districts and most of the people work in the agricultural sector,” he said. “I don’t exaggerate when I say that 90% of the people in Qahdarijan are engaged in all sorts of agricultural-related jobs.”

Before the Zayanderud dried, most farmers in the Isfahan region grew onions, but rice and other crops were grown as recently as a few years ago. Water shortages have forced farmers to stop growing these crops altogether.

“Some the people who were once wealthy, are currently so deprived and poverty-stricken that they are covered by relief foundations such as the Emdad Foundation,” Nazari said.

“Many of them are retired farmers who have large families and many children and relatives and have no other source of income. If this is not a catastrophe then what is it?” asked the Isfahan Council official on state-run TV.

Nazari affirmed the water rights of the Isfahan farmers. “If there is water in Zayanderud River, then all the people, especially those with water rights should have equal access to it. Of course, farmers are more entitled since their livelihood depends on it,” he said. “When a person has problems with his livelihood, he suffers very much. Unfortunately, at the moment, most people are unemployed and do not have an income in Qahdarijan.”

Today, everything – #Isfahan farmers’ share of water, workers’ past due wages, the Iranian people’s right to freedom and sovereignty – totally depends on the overthrow of the clerical dictatorship in Iran#IranProtestshttps://t.co/zwm476FvqX pic.twitter.com/tn79XLi2W1

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) March 10, 2018

Protests Will Become Political

Nazari implicitly acknowledged the anti-regime protests that have taken place among Iran’s farmers, saying that protests would turn political. The MEK has helped to organize protest movements across Iran since nationwide anti-regime protests broke out last December amongst all sectors of society. Iran’s farmers are one of the many groups who have organized to repeatedly protest against the regime’s corruption and mismanagement of the country’s resources.

“The Ben-Brojen Plan, which incorporated providing a huge water supply to large industrial factories and using the water for other areas and many decisions that resulted from mismanagement has made the people angry,” Nazari said.

“The farmers say kill us or throw us out of Iran. Are we not as farmers part of the people of this country, they ask”, he said.

Nazari pointed out that the protesting farmers were only asking for fair distribution of water. “Unfortunately, the Ministry of Energy does not take into consideration the approved decisions of the Supreme Water Council and ignores farmers,” he said.

Nazari warned, “If officials cannot handle the demands of the protesters, they should know that these protests and demands may be exploited by the enemies of the Islamic Republic.”

The farmers of Isfahan protested water shortages at the beginning of the year. The protests and demonstrations focused on the regime’s corruption and lasted for more than two months. Sporadic protests have broken out in the region over the past eleven months as the uprising has continued throughout the country.

Staff Writer