Spring of freedom

Karim Siahi and Tariq Kholfi, Ahvaz steel workers, were released on bail Iran, Jan. 20, 2019 -  On Saturday, the Free Union of Workers published a statement, in which it condemned the repressive conditions set against workers of Ahvaz who were recently release from prison on bail. “The extraction of a 2.5-billion-rial bail from the families of Karim Siahi and Tariq Kholfi shows that wave of repression continues against the workers of Iran National Steel Industrial Group, who were demanding for their most basic rights during their 38-day strikes and streets protests,” the union wrote in its statement. Siahi and Kholfi were among the representatives of the steel workers of Ahvaz who had been protesting against unpaid wages and poor working conditions. As the strikes and protests continued, the Iranian regime cracked down on the protesters and  arrested several dozen workers  during nightly raids at their homes. Siahi and Kholfi were finally released on Saturday aft...

Protests in Tehran, Mashhad and Ahvaz  On Monday, several cities across Iran witnessed protests by angry people whose rights have been trampled by the Iranian regime and its affiliated companies and organizations. Tehran: demonstrations by customers of Saipa vehicle manufacturer In Tehran, angry customers of Saipa, an Iranian vehicle manufacturing company, held demonstrations in front of the headquarters of the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Commerce. The protesters are demanding the delivery of their purchased vehicles, which have been delayed for more than a year. Some of the customers of Saipa made their purchases in 2016 and have not yet received their vehicles. Protests over undelivered purchases and hiking prices of Saipa have been ongoing for several months. Saipa is one of Iran’s largest auto manufacturers and a publicly traded company. Its main shareholder is an investment company owned by the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Commerce. That’s why the customers...

Iran: Steelworkers’ protest in Ahvaz faces a blatant crackdown Steelworkers’ protest in the city of  Ahvaz  entered its 38th consecutive day On Monday, Dec. 17. On that day, the protest faced a new round of crackdown by the Iran regime’s security forces.  Mass arrests took place overnight . The raids targeted the homes of Iranian National Steel Industries Group (INSIG) workers. They were carried out in absence of warrants, as in cases of politically motivated arrests. Dozens of workers were arrested and many spent nights out of their homes to avoid arrest. Once again, in the early hours of Tuesday, security forces raided several homes and arrested 10 more. According to the observers, at least 41 individuals were arrested at their homes or in the streets for participating in the steelworkers’ protest, demanding their legitimate rights. The suppressive security forces transferred the arrested workers to Ahvaz’s Sheyban Prison. The General Assembly of the Ahvaz Stee...

Protests by workers and other underprivileged classes of the Iranian population continue On Sunday, protests by workers and other underprivileged classes of the Iranian population continued in several cities. Truck drivers’ strike continues Iran’s truckers, who had  previously declared a 10-day strike , entered the second day of their protests. According to local reports, truck commutes in many of the country’s highways had stopped altogether. The strike of truck drivers has also spread to many other cities including Mashhad, Isfahan, Sari, and Bushehr. The truckers are protesting to deteriorating work conditions, low wages and high prices. The government has failed to meet the just demands of the Iranian truckers, who are finding it harder to make ends meet. This is the fifth round of strikes by truck drivers since the beginning of the year.     Unpaid wages continue to spur more protests in various cities One of the issues that ha...

Shrouded Steelworkers’ protest in Ahvaz, Iran Steelworkers of the Iran National Steel Industrial Group (INSIG) in Ahvaz Khuzestan, continue their protest for their overdue wages, various problems, mismanagement and corruption in directing this industrial complex. The Steelworkers also demand the return of the INSIG to government ownership. The factory was sold to the private sector under deceitful conditions. The private owners are affiliated to the corrupt ruler, Khamenei, and the Revolutionary Guards’ figures. The new round of strikes and protests of the steelworkers of Ahvaz entered its second month while many  steelworkers, wearing shrouds , staged a rally in front of the governorate of the regime in Ahvaz while the slogan “We resist, we die, but we do not bow to injustice,” was written on their white shrouds. The Steelworkers also were chanting: “Lest we surrender to injustice”;  “Neither threat nor prison, they have no effect anymore!” As the protesters mo...

Ahvaz, SW  #Iran National Steel Group employees marching & rallying for the 32nd day, protesting delayed paychecks & corrupt policies. #IranProtests Dec 11 - Tehran,  #Iran Workers rally in support of National Steel Group employees in Ahvaz & demanding the release of Esmaeel Bakhshi, Ali Nejati & Ms. Sepideh Gholian of the Haft Tapeh sugarcane mill in Shush, both in Khuzestan Province, SW Iran. #IranProtests Dec 11 - Ahvaz, SW  #Iran National Steel Group employees rallying for the 32nd day, protesting delayed paychecks & officials' corrupt policies. Chants: "No to life in shame" "Jailed workers must be released" "Jailed students must be released" #IranProtests Dec 11 - Tehran,  #Iran Outside the public prosecutor's office Clients of the Caspian credit firm (associated to the Revolutionary Guards - IRGC) demanding their stolen savings returned. #IranProtests Dec 11 - Ahvaz, SW  #Iran National Ste...

Ahvaz steel workers continue protest for the 30st day in the row On Sunday, December 9 th , workers from the Ahvaz National Steel Industrial Group continued their strike and demonstrations for the 30st day. While marching on the streets of the city and passing by state institutions, the workers, being supported by other people, chanted: "Imprisoned work must be released"; "Neither threats, nor prison are useful anymore"; "Call of every worker: Death to The tyrant "; "Workers would rather die than accept humiliation"; "We stand; we die until we get our rights "; "Our country is place of thieves, it is unique in the world”; “Rouhani, the liar; where is your key to the problems?” Workers carried banners which read: “Do not sacrifice workers to the brokerage mafia”; “Isn’t authorities’ silence against the Mafia the reason for their complicity?” This brave strike and demonstration takes place while the regime's leaders, by ...

Workers of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane and Ahvaz Steel demonstrate Angry workers of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane and Ahvaz Steel factories rallied on Monday, November 19 th , in protest at the arrest of a large number of sugar cane workers. On their fifteenth day of strike, disregarding repressive measures and the tight presence of repressive forces and riot police, Haft Tappeh workers rallied. People from various walks joined them on their path. The protesters chanted in front of the governorate: Imprisoned workers must be freed; Threats and imprisonment do not work anymore. Chanting slogans, the people called for the release of the workers in front of the regime's court. At the same time, Ahvaz Steel workers rallied in front of the provincial governorate in the second week of their strike and in support of the Haft Tappeh workers. The workers chanted: Haft Tappeh worker must be freed; We, the Steel workers, fight and fight against oppression and tyranny; No nation has ever seen suc...

Employees of the Ahvaz Steel Company continued their strike Employees of the Ahvaz Steel Company continued their strike on Wednesday, holding a protest rally outside the Khuzestan Province governor’s office, demanding their delayed paychecks and protesting poor working conditions at their worksite. The workers were chanting: “Workers of Khuzestan, unite, unite” On Tuesday, a group of these workers held a gathering outside the governor’s office and the entrance of the Ahvaz Sports Complex. They were blocking the path for the convoy of Iranian regime vice president Eshagh Jahangiri and voicing their protests. Iranian opposition President  Maryam Rajavi  tweeted her message of support for the various  protests and strikes  by people from all walks of life across Iran: Maryam Rajavi ✔ @Maryam_Rajavi Hail to the deprived workers of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Factory and Steel Factory of # Ahvaz who have risen up to demand their rights,...