Confronting the unrest in Iran, Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of religious fascism finds no solution but accelerating internal suppression and external terrorism. Adopting Ebrahim Raissi, the key figure in the 1988 prison massacre, in which 30,000 Mujahedin-e Khalq (PMOI/MEK) members and supporters were executed in just a few months, as the head of the Judiciary shows he has no other option to control the explosive situation in Iran but appointing henchmen as high-ranking officials.

However, the growing protests during recent months in Iran led by the MEK indicate repression does not work for mullahs as it did before. The protests in Iran prove that the rulers cannot dictate their demands and people do not accept this miserable situation any longer. Expanding the popular movements and protests, and also the growing war between different factions inside the regime, both reflect the reality of Iranian society.

This leads the society to stand up and protest against poverty and repression. Recent uprising of people in the Southwest city of Lordegan is just an example.

Saturday, October 5, 2019, thousands of residents in Lordegan demonstrated against the mullahs’ regime in support of the residents of Chenar Mahmoudi village in Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari Province. Angry youths set ablaze the office of the representative of the regime’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Lordegan Governor’s Office as well as several other regime’s centers.

The demonstration began outside the Governor’s Office and spread to the Health Department’s local office. The security forces attacked the protesters at both locations. The protesters defended themselves by throwing rocks. The suppressive forces fired live rounds and tear gas into the crowd to disperse them, wounding a number of demonstrators.

Despite the unprecedented suppression, the angry workers in two industrial facilities, Hepco and Arak Azarab, are still continuing their protests against the regime.

Hail to the brave workers of Azarab, Arak, who did not succumb to the clerical regime’s threats &intimidations, continuing their protest today. The regime again responded by tear gas, arrests, &beatings. Such oppression will be foiled by the courageous workers’ will power. #Iran pic.twitter.com/yzKXAy9TP0

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) October 7, 2019

Everything indicates circumstances are changing in Iran with freedom and prosperity on the horizon.

Pointing to the protests of people in Lordegan, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) said:

“With their chants of death to the dictator and attacking the office of the representative of the Iranian Regime’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, they targeted the clerical establishment as the main cause of all the atrocities perpetrated against the Iranian people,”

On the current situation she emphasized:

“This corrupt and criminal regime has squandered Iran’s national wealth by pursuing nuclear and missile projects and engaging in foreign warmongering, which has destroyed all aspects of life for the people of Iran, including health and well-being.”

After four decades of suppression, the MEK resistance units are active more than ever, pushing the mullahs towards a deadly cliff. Victory is within reach. It is time for the international community to recognize the Iranian Resistance, the NCRI and the MEK.

Staff Writer

The mullahs’ regime is cornered by many problems in Iran. Some are scarier than others for the theocratic regime. Workers’ protests and strikes areas such. In the most recent labor unrest in Iran’s industrial heartland, Arak, in central Iran, Azarab Company workers protest for the familiar demands; unpaid wages and the return of the company to the public sector. The mullahs’ regime’s scheme in the last two decades against the working class has been a suppressive plan of forced privatization of oldest industries such as Hepco and Azarab in Iran. But what is even more cynical is that the clerical regime has tried to kill two birds with one stone. It wants to escape the responsibilities of the government toward Iran’s working community such as guaranteed wages and insurance and aims at breaking up the oldest labor unions formed in such industries for more than 40 years in Iran.

In Azarab, for example, private management is downsizing the personnel. What the mullahs’ regime has done is putting a multimillion-dollar company on sale for a fraction of its real market value. The bid usually goes to former Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) commanders or their families. By doing so the regime has two goals; one is gradually killing the company and secondly prevent the labor unions from taking shape. In the case of Azarab and Hepco they share the same fate. The Iranian regime has followed the same road)map for both industrial companies. The workers’ major demand aside from back pays is preventing the gradual closure of the company.

Azarab workers protested for three days outside the company’s plant in Arak. The anti-riot units of the IRGC were called in to turn the protesters away. But they stood their grounds and pushed them back.

Hail to the brave workers of Azarab, Arak, who did not succumb to the clerical regime’s threats &intimidations, continuing their protest today. The regime again responded by tear gas, arrests, &beatings. Such oppression will be foiled by the courageous workers’ will power. #Iran pic.twitter.com/yzKXAy9TP0

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) October 7, 2019

Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), hailed the brave workers of Azarab for not abandoning their protests despite the suppressive measures and threats by the mullahs’ regime. She said that the ruling religious fascism in Iran responds to the enraged citizens only with tear gas, beatings, arrests, medieval trials, and long prison terms. But oppression and injustice will crumble in the face of the heroic workers’ resolve.

The Mujahedin-e Khalq (PMOI/MEK) also welcomed the Azarab’s workers for their bravery in standing up for their rights.

Background:

On October 8, 2019, for the third consecutive day, the protest gathering of Azarab’s workers continued. On Sunday, October 6, 2019, workers of Azarab Company had organized a gathering on the Tehran-Arak highway to protest the sale of the company and to demand their unpaid wages. They closed the main square at the city’s entrance.

A day before, on October 7, the workers had gathered and marched outside the company. The Revolutionary Guards’ anti-riot units attacked them by firing tear gas into the crowd. They blocked the demonstrators from entering the city fearing that the youths might join the protesting workers.

Despite yesterday’s brutal attacks, the workers gathered outside the company’s building again. The suppressive forces blocked the demonstrators from reaching San’at Square and entering the city.

Staff Writer

Yesterday for the 5th consecutive day, workers of Haft-Tapeh Sugarcane Factory Mill, despite Iranian regime officials’ warnings, staged a gathering outside of the plant protesting to their fellow workers firing. They demand the unconditional return to work of all their colleagues.  They carried signs reading: “We strongly condemn “all violations of workers’ rights.”

Haft-Tapeh’s human resources manager had published a letter terminating several of the company’s workers, on Sunday.

Firing workers opened an old wound since the company’s labor union has been on a collision course with the mullahs’ regime since 2015 over the company’s privatization which simply meant turning over one of Iran’s thriving industries to Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) top brass.

Mahmoud Sadeghi, a member of the regime’s Majlis (parliament) agrees that Haft-Tapeh workers hate the regime and its policies toward the factory. On Wednesday he said: “Now the country is faced with problems which are deeply rooted in misguided polices and workers of Haft-Tapeh and Hepco companies are paying for them.”

He admits that the regime is incapable of solving the workers’ problems in Iran. Sadeghi then lashes out at the government and puts the blame squarely on Hassan Rouhani’s government for helping form a new oligarchical class in the society. Sadeghi talks as if he is not part of the same corrupt regime.

Haft-Tapeh Sugarcane Mill Company has had a bumpy relationship with the mullahs’ regime. Once the biggest Middle East sugar factory now is on the brink of virtual bankruptcy. At its early days it had the largest trade union amongst Iran’s growing labor organizations in the country. Haft-Tapeh once had 5000 employees with its own sugarcane fields and a huge paper factory next to it for processing the bagasse.

The Sugar Cane Mill was once a source of national pride, but since it was privatized in 2015, it has been struggling financially.

It was built on a 2-hectare area over half a century ago. It is the only factory of its kind in Iran. The mill was lucrative before it was sold to the private sector in 2015. It was sold to the private sector for a down payment of roughly two million dollars, and it is unclear if any further payments have been made. But what is clear is that the privatized company accrued large debts of over $90 million in 2017.

Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said he believes the unrest among the workers is a “foreign plot” to overthrow the regime. When he addressed to a gathering  about  workers on February 5th, last year Khamenei said, “One of the major activities of our enemies has been to create a recession and obstacles in our factories and among our labor groups — particularly the big ones — so they can provoke the workers,” in one of his shortest speeches ever.

As the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) has maintained throughout the life of the mullahs’ regime workers problems and all other problems in Iran will be solved after its overthrow. MEK’s Resistance Units and Resistance Councils with the help of Iranian people including the deprived workers will deal with the final blow to the regime.

Staff Writer

 

 

 

Last week, Iran Human Rights Monitor released its monthly report, detailing the Iranian regime’s human rights violations. During the month of August, the regime imposed heavy sentences on participants in the country’s Labor Day protest, striking workers from the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Factory, and civil rights activists. Last month, more than 31 activists, workers, and journalists were sentenced to prison and lashes for their participation in protests.

Touching report on the situation of #HumanRights in #Iran.
A very professional accurate report by @IranHRM: Iran Human Rights Monitor Monthly Report for August 2019 https://t.co/HCJTd4rucE#FreeIran #NoImpunity4Mullahs #BlacklistRouhani @USAdarFarsi @JavaidRehman @mbachelet

— Ka Veh (@kaveh20092009) September 7, 2019

Labor Day Protesters

Researcher Atefeh Rangiz was sentenced to 11 years, six months in prison and 74 lashes.

Journalist Marzieh Amiri was sentenced to 10 years, six months of prison and 148 lashes. She will serve six years of her term.

Nasrin Javadi was sentenced to 7 years in prison and 74 lashes.

A bus driver and member of the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company Rasoul Taleb Moghadam was sentenced to 74 lashes, two years of prison, two years of exile, and a two-year ban on using smartphones.

Vice-president of the Free Union of Iranian Workers Parvin Mohammadi was sentenced to one year in prison

Labor Activist Azarm Khezri (Nasrin Javadi), was sentenced to seven years of prison and 74 lashes. She will serve five years of her term.

Labor activist Farhad Sheikhi was sentenced to four months of prison and 5 lashes. His sentence was suspended for two years.

Haft Tappeh Protesters

On August 13, seven Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Factory workers were given eight-month suspended prison sentences and 30 lashes each for participating in last year’s workers’ strikes.

On August 14, nine more workers from the same factory were sentenced to eight months in prison and 30 lashes. Another worker was acquitted.

The MEK covered the Haft Tappeh worker strikes last year extensively.

Other Activists

Mohammad Taghi Falahi, head of the Tehran Teachers’ Association, was sentenced to eight months in prison and ten lashes for participating in a protest on Iran’s National Teachers’ Day. His sentence has been suspended for three years.

Women’s rights activist Saba Kord Afshari was sentenced to 24 years in prison for protesting the mandatory veiling laws and refusing to make a false confession.

Satirist Keyomars Marzban was sentenced to 23.3 years in prison for working for foreign media outlets.

Executions

At least 41 people were executed by the regime in August. Two of these executions took place in public. The actual number of executions is likely much higher, as the regime is known for carrying out its executions in secret.

July saw 41 executions across #Iran Only 17 such cases have been reported by the regime’s official news agencies. 2 of those were public hangings. 2 public floggings were carried out and more than 62 individuals were sentenced to lashes. @AmnestyIran @UNHumanRights @WebDPN pic.twitter.com/GpfQBTLMVk

— IRAN HRM (@IranHrm) August 6, 2018

Denial of Medical Treatment to Prisoners

Political prisoner Majid Assadi has been denied treatment for his Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and has not been provided access to a physician for the last year. In September 2018, doctors additionally diagnosed Assadi with ulcers and intestinal inflammation, but he is not receiving medical care for any of his conditions.

Political prisoner Arash Sadeghi is being denied critical care for cancer. He received surgery in September 2018 to remove cancer but developed a postoperative infection after being immediately returned to prison. Without proper care, his arm has become paralyzed and swollen. Prison officials have refused to allow Sadeghi to return to the hospital to seek further bone marrow tests to see if his cancer has spread or to have additional, life-saving chemotherapy treatments. Amnesty International condemned the regime’s treatment of Sadeghi as torture.

I specifically urge the new UK government to support human rights, namely the suppressed human rights of the people of #Iran. I urge them to send an int’l fact-finding mission to Iran to visit the regime’s prisons and the political prisoners particularly, the women. #FreeIran pic.twitter.com/A1aMmRCom9

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) July 27, 2019

The NCRI and MEK condemn the regime’s human rights abuses and encourages all Iranians to support those who are protesting against the regime. The regime’s abuses will end when Iran is free.

Staff Writer

 

December 28th marks the one year anniversary of the nationwide uprising that mobilized people from all walks of life to take to the streets in protest of Iran’s theocratic regime. The protests began in Mashhad on December 28, 2017, and spread to over 140 cities in every province in Iran over a two week period.

Maryam Rajavi calls for support for the striking workers and urgent action to secure the release of those arrested#Iran#IranProtestshttps://t.co/rBepQKpCRu pic.twitter.com/dwN4FKwNVB

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) December 19, 2018

The initial protests were in response to the economic disaster facing the country. Poverty, corruption, inflation, and rising unemployment drove many Iranians into the streets to protests. But as the uprising grew in strength and numbers, the demonstrators began to protest the regime itself.

Protesters chanted, “Death to the dictator!”

“Death to [Supreme Leader] Khamenei!”

“Khamenei shame on you, let go of your rule!”

One year later, Iran is still the scene of daily protests and demonstrations against the authoritarian regime. The protesters have made it clear that they will not be satisfied until the ruling regime is toppled and democracy is restored to Iran.

The MEK has played a leading role in the protests taking place across Iran. As the movement to topple the mullahs’ regime has grown, the people have sought a viable alternative to the corrupt dictatorship that has destroyed Iran’s economy and environment, and that has oppressed its people for the past four decades. The MEK offers a democratic alternative that will restore freedom to Iran.

Iran News Wire summarized protest activity in Iran over the past year. The following is a summary of their report:

January

Recorded Protests: 643

Daily Average: 21

#IranProtests – Tehran, January 9, 2018 front of Evin Prison https://t.co/dwe8XMhcpn#تظاهرات_سراري pic.twitter.com/3HipV5hwH2

— Iran Focus (@Iran_Focus) January 9, 2018

The uprising that began in December 2017 continued into January, and protests took an anti-regime turn in the month of January. Protesters set fire to Basij bases and tore down images of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

February

Recorded Protests: 596

Daily Average: 21

Today Wednesday February 21, 2018, some of the looted depositors of 'Caspian' & 'Arman Vahdat' financial institutions, held a protest gathering in fronot ot regime's parliament and asked 4 the recuperation of their deposts, in this protest gathering. #IranProtests #Iran #Tehran pic.twitter.com/GXAkd4SGJo

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 21, 2018

March

Recorded Protests: 422

Daily Average: 14

April

Recorded Protests: 452

Daily Average: 15

#Iran: Residents of Kazeroon, in southern Iran, continued their demonstrations for the sixth consecutive day on Friday, April 20, 2018. A large number of suburb residents joined the demonstrators.#IranProtests #FreeIran

https://t.co/EAHzWRM9Wq pic.twitter.com/nm4QSJyJjy

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) April 21, 2018

May

Recorded Protests: 1,093

Daily Average: 35

Striking truck-drivers crippling #Iran regime
Despite the Iranian regime's suppressive measures, according to the #NCRI report; it began in May 2018, and now the strike covers 259 cities. #IranProtests @hassan_mahmou1https://t.co/JnyDYaVREV

— IranGathering (@IranGathering) October 5, 2018

June

Recorded Protests: 475

Daily Protests: 16

#IranProtests – 28 June 2018
(19)
Tehran, #Iran
Store owners in the capital's rug bazaar join the expanding #IranStrikes.#QAnon pic.twitter.com/50IfiXZYpf

— Heshmat Alavi (@HeshmatAlavi) June 28, 2018

 

In June, bazaar merchants in Tehran launched a large-scale strike in protest of the failing economy and rising prices. Protesters in Khoramshahr took to the streets to protest water scarcity.

Protests quickly turned to calls for regime change, with chants of “Death to the Dictator!”, “Death to Rouhani!”, “Death to Khamenei!”, and “Our enemy is right here, they lie when they say it’s the U.S.!”

Women played a key role during the protests in Khorramshahr and in Khuzestan in southwest Iran.

July

Recorded Protests and Strikes: 970 in cities and regions

Daily Average: 31

Fourteenth Day of Strike by Truck Drivers in Cities Across #Iran
The second round of strikes by truck drivers which began on July 23rd in different cities of Iran, continued on its fourteenth day today on Sunday, August 5, 2018.#IranProtests #FreeIran2018 pic.twitter.com/ra9vp8o5CJ

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) August 6, 2018

August

Recorded Protests: 133

Daily Average: 20

Iran – Ahwaz
Demonstration of workers of the steel industry complex in Ahwaz for the tenth day in a row, repeating the slogan: the worker dies and will not accept humiliation
Monday 27 August 2018
#Iran #IranRegimeChange #Iranprotests #MEK #PMOI pic.twitter.com/lKFPUkt9K4

— iran panorama (@rezahoseanirad2) August 27, 2018

September

Recorded Protests: 1,367 in 293 cities, villages and business and industry regions

Daily Average: 46

Iran’s truck drivers began their nationwide organized strike in September.

October

Recorded Protests: 1,533 in 323 cities, villages, and business and industry regions

Daily Average: 49

October saw the most protest activity in Iran in 2018. Truck drivers, teachers, and bazaar merchants all went on strike in October.

Iran
Since Monday morning, 8 October, large sectors of the Tehran market and the markets of various cities have started a strike and shopkeepers have not opened their shops.
Monday October 8, 2018#IranProtests #IranStrikes pic.twitter.com/sSHSm62XYr

— iran panorama (@rezahoseanirad2) October 8, 2018

November

Recorded Protests: 911 in 171 cities, villages, and business and industry regions

Daily Average: 30

Iranian truck drivers went on another round of strikes in November, as did Iran’s teachers.

The workers of the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Factory workers in Shush and the Iran National Steel Group workers in Ahvaz also began striking in protest of months of unpaid wages. Their weeks-long strikes would attract international attention.

Head of Iranian Regime’s Judiciary Threatens Striking Workers

December

Recorded Protests: 273 as of December 21st

Daily Average: 9

Workers, credit union clients, retirees, students, and prisoners all protesters during the month of December.

The regime arrested a number of striking Ahvaz steelworkers and Haft Tappeh factory workers in an escalation of their previous attempts to suppress the strikes. Regime agents carried out a series of midnight raids on the houses of striking workers and arrested dozens of workers. Reports indicate that labor activist Esmail Bakhshi was tortured in prison.

Iran – Ahvaz
The Ahvaz steelworkers factory who were protesting for 2 months hold rally based on previous call & despite presence of security forces & threats to arrest & suppression.
Chant:" Every workers calling for the death of tyrants"
December 15, 2018#Iran #Iranprotests pic.twitter.com/c6Kssql6bH

— iran panorama (@rezahoseanirad2) December 15, 2018

Iranian truck drivers started their fifth round of strikes this month as well. Those numbers are not included in the report, which will be updated by Iran News Wire in January.

Staff Writer

Last December, a series of protests began in Iran that rapidly spread across the country. Within two weeks, the widespread uprising had spread to more than 140 cities and every province in Iran. Almost a year later, the popular protest movement continues, mobilized by the MEK and its resistance units. In addition to the ongoing strikes by the workers of the Ahvaz Steel factory and the Haft Tappeh Sugar Mill, protests have broken out in Tehran and other cities in Iran.

Ahvaz Steel Workers Gain Support in Their Protests

Protests in Tehran

On Tuesday, contract workers gathered outside of the city council building at South City Park Avenue in Tehran to demand the demand of their savings. The workers say that state officials embezzled their savings and that their concerns have not been addressed by the regime. They chanted:

“One less embezzlement, our problems will be resolved!”
“We deserve to have our money returned!”
“You lying officials, shame on your disgrace!”
“This incompetent council should be ashamed!”
“We don’t want a list of hopes, we want our money!”
“We don’t want promises, we want our money!”

Credit clients of the Bahman Khodro Company rallied in Tehran on Tuesday to protest rising prices. They also protested the company’s failure to deliver vehicles to customers who had already purchased them.

Looted clients of the Caspian Credit Firm protested outside of the regime’s public prosecutor’s office in Tehran on Tuesday. The protesters demanded the return of their savings by the credit firm, which is known to be associated with the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC).

Borujerd municipality workers protest 9 months of unpaid wages https://t.co/gJU1Sw7WRK#IranProtests

— Iran News Wire (@IranNW) December 11, 2018

Protest in Shahr-e Kord

Taxi drivers in Shahr-e Kord in central Iran gathered outside of the Isfahan Province governorate in Shahr-e Kord in protest of regime officials’ refusal to answer their demands.

Hunger Strike in Ardabil Central Prison

Political prisoners in Ward 7 of Ardabil Central Prison began a hunger strike on Sunday. The prisoners are protesting the transfer of a prisoner with Hepatitis to their ward. Authorities moved the contagious prisoner to the ward where political prisoners are held without informing other inmates.

Prison authorities responded to the prisoners’ protest by taking away their telephone privileges. Prison officials have so far ignored requests for information from the inmates’ families.

Inmates at Ardabil Central Prison are housed in warehouse-like facilities without access to adequate hygiene supplies. Conditions in the prison make diseases such as Hepatitis A highly likely to spread amongst the inmate population.

Staff Writer

 

Monday marked the 24th day of protests for the workers of the Iran National Steel Industrial Group in Ahvaz, Khuzestan, report MEK sources inside Iran. The workers once again rallied in the streets of Ahvaz to demand payment of their wages, which they have not received for several months.

Dec 3 – #IranProtests

Ahvaz, SW #Iran
National Steel Group employees rallying:

Chants:
"We steel workers will stand against cruelty & oppression"
”Neither the ruler [Khamenei], nor the gov [Rouhani], are thinking about the people"
"You're using Islam to plunder the people" pic.twitter.com/BKchHEC9fL

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) December 3, 2018

The protesting workers held banners reading, “The workers are awake, they are fed up with exploitation!” and “Don’t make workers the victims of mafia deals!”

The Ahvaz steelworkers have demanded their unpaid wages for months, but they have been ignored by both their employers and the Iranian regime. The workers have now been forced to strike in order to make their voices heard.

The regime has responded to the protests with threats and intimidation. The head of the regime’s judiciary threatened to arrest the striking workers, calling their protests “sedition.” Nevertheless, the steelworkers have continued to rally on the streets of Ahvaz for more than three weeks to demand payment for their work.

Regime officials recently announced that two months of wages had been deposited into the workers’ accounts. However, according to the state-run ILNA new agency, workers reported that only 120 workers were paid. The 3,500 striking workers did not receive their wages.

The Ahvaz steelworkers place the blame for their situation on the regime and its corrupt policies. They are among many groups of oppressed Iranian workers who are suffering from the Iranian regime’s corruption. The workers of the Haft Tappeh sugar factory in Shush, Khuzestan have been protesting for their unpaid wages for 29 days. The factory workers blame the regime for allowing the privatization of their company, which has nearly bankrupted it.

Iran: Haft Tappeh Workers Strike for 26th Day, Ignoring False Promises and Intimidation

As the strikes have gone on, the striking workers have gained support from the Iranian people and from human rights activists and labor rights groups across the world. MEK sources report that students have joined the steel workers’ protests. Students were seen holding signs reading, ““We’re the workers’ children; we’ll stand by their side!”

Regime officials have been forced to acknowledge that workers in Iran are unhappy with labor conditions in the country. State media has run a number of reports about the regime’s deep concerns that the workers’ dissatisfaction will lead to a large scale revolt led by the MEK.

Staff writer

 

The Haft Tappeh workers received a boost when the Greater Tehran Bus Syndicate issued a public statement supporting their strike and condemning the arrest and regime violence against its labor activist, Esmaeel Bakhshi.

Brave Haft Tappeh sugarcane workers rally outside Governor's Office in Shush on Thursday (Day 25 of #IranProtests) chanting 'imprisoned workers must be freed'.
NCRI urges OHCHR, @ilo & international labor unions to pressure #Iran’s regime to release detained workers #FreeIran2018

— Mohammad Mohaddessin (@Mohaddessin) November 29, 2018

The Haft Tappeh workers have been on strike over unpaid wages and the forced privatization of the company for almost eight weeks. Bakhshi was arrested, along with 18 other protestors during the first week of the protest. While most of the other protestors were released shortly afterward, Bakhshi and several others were kept in regime custody.

News later emerged that Bakhshi was rushed to hospital after sustaining serious head injuries in regime custody.

Iran: Haft Tappeh Workers Strike for 26th Day, Ignoring False Promises and Intimidation

The Greater Tehran Bus Syndicate echoed the Haft Tappeh workers calls for Bakshi’s immediate release and the closure of any outstanding judicial cases against the Haft Tappeh protestors.

A Climate of Fear

The regime has resorted to its usual threats and oppression in an attempt to end the Haft Tappeh protests. The mayor of Shush, accompanied by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and plainclothes officers approached the protestors to issue threats unless they stopped the protests.

#Iran
Haft-Tappeh Sugarcane Mill worker and labor leader, Esmail Bakhshi who was arrested during the workers protest has been tortured & transfers to the hospital.
He has been injured in several parts of the head and face & suffering from internal bleeding. pic.twitter.com/1bfdiB40lc

— IRAN HRM (@IranHrm) November 29, 2018

The protesting workers would not be deterred, instead of mounting chants against the corrupt mayor, and renewed chants of “jailed workers must be released”.

The arrests were also designed to create a climate of fear among protestors. However, they backfired. In the face of mounting regime violence, the protestors of Haft Tappeh have only received reinvigorated public support.

Many of Iran’s youth have taken to the streets with the striking workers in a clear display of solidarity.

The Iranian resistance group, the People’s Mujahedin Organisation of Iran (MEK), also issued words of support. The President-elect of the Iranian opposition, Maryam Rajavi, took to Twitter to call on the Iranian public to stand with the brave workers.

Hail to the striking sugarcane workers of Haft Tappeh and Steel workers of #Ahvaz who have risen up to obtain their rights and free their imprisoned co-workers. I call on #Iran’s youth to rise to their aid.#IranProtests #FreeIran2018#IranRegimeChange

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) November 29, 2018

Students from Tehran’s Art University also paid homage to the striking Haft Tappeh workers. Whilst holding their own anti-regime rally, the determined students chanted, “we’re the workers’ children, we will stand by their side”.

Additional Arrests

It wasn’t just Esmaeel Bakhshi that was detained on bogus charges, the former head of the Haft Tappeh sugarcane mill syndicate, Ali Nejati, was abducted from his home by regime forces and taken to an unknown location.

His loved ones are concerned as Mr. Nejati has a heart condition and was reportedly unwell when regime agents raided his property. He reportedly asked to see a warrant from the regime agents, but they were unable to produce a document.

Staff Writer

 

 

The Haft Tappeh sugar factory workers continued their strike for the 26th consecutive day on Friday, despite escalating threats and intimidation from the repressive Iranian regime. Reports from MEK sources inside Iran indicate that the protesters rallied again in front of the mayor’s office in Shush, chanting, “Imprisoned workers must be freed!”

#Iran: Haft Tapeh workers continue their protest for 26th day

Photo: Students of Zanjan University voicing their support for the workers of Haft Tapehhttps://t.co/fYgdzsJP5U #FreeIran2018 #IranProtests #Haft_Tappeh pic.twitter.com/HVOM51trBX

— Donya Jam (@FreeeIran) November 30, 2018

Arrest, False Promises, and Protests

Thursday was an active day for the striking Haft Tappeh factory workers. The regime attempted to halt the protests by sending an IRGC official and a member of the regime’s parliament to address the striking workers and attempt to negotiate with the protesters. The officials were accompanied by Basij forces. The regime officials promised to meet the workers’ demands if they called off the strikes. The striking workers were not impressed by the officials’ promises, which have gone unfulfilled before, and interrupted their speeches with chants.

Brave Haft Tappeh sugarcane workers rally outside Governor's Office in Shush on Thursday (Day 25 of #IranProtests) chanting 'imprisoned workers must be freed'.
NCRI urges OHCHR, @ilo & international labor unions to pressure #Iran’s regime to release detained workers #FreeIran2018

— Mohammad Mohaddessin (@Mohaddessin) November 29, 2018

Also on Thursday, security forces raided the home of Ali Nejati and arrested him. Nejati, former president of the Haft Tappeh sugar cane workers union, suffers from heart disease and is currently ill. Upon his arrest, Nejati was badly beaten by security forces. He has since been transferred to an unknown location.

A Labour Activist Involved in the Haft Tappeh Protests is Hospitalized After Suffering Abuse in Regime Custody

A growing group of supporters has joined the striking Haft Tappeh workers in solidarity with their protests. On Thursday, students from Zanjan University in Tehran gathered in support of the demands of the Haft Tappeh workers. They chanted, “We are the children of workers. We will stand by their side. Haft Tapeh, Khuzestan, the role model of the hardworking people!” and “Students, workers, teachers, unity is the key to victory!”

Unpaid Wages and Privatization

The Haft Tappeh factory workers began their strike to protest unpaid wages and the privatization of their company. Workers at the company have not received their salary in several months and have been deprived of basic rights and benefits that are guaranteed under Iranian labor laws.

Haft Tappeh is the largest sugar factory in Iran and supplies thousands of jobs to the people of Khuzestan. The factory was government-owned until the regime allowed it to be privatized in a controversial 2015 deal. Since then, employees say working conditions have deteriorated and the factory’s poor leadership has brought it to the verge of bankruptcy. The striking workers want the owners to be removed and their salaries paid.

A Call to Action

The MEK and the Iranian Opposition has called upon the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to intervene and demand the release of Ali Nejati and other workers who have been arrested by the Iranian regime.

I urge international human rights advocates and workers’ syndicates to lend support to the striking workers and take action to have the imprisoned workers released.#IranProtests #FreeIran2018#IranRegimeChange

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) November 29, 2018

Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), has called upon on all human rights organizations to stand in solidarity with the workers of the Haft Tappeh sugar factory and to take action to secure the release of imprisoned Iranian workers.

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