Labor Activist in Sanandaj Sentenced to Prison on Charges of ‘Propaganda Against the State’

Eshaaq Rouhi, a labor activist from Sanandaj, has been sentenced to one year in prison by the Revolutionary Court of the city.

According to information published on social media, the final court hearing for Eshaaq Rouhi, a labor activist from Sanandaj, was held on Wednesday, August 30, in Branch One of the Sanandaj Revolutionary Court, and the labor activist has been sentenced to one year in prison on charges of “propaganda against the state.”

The Committee for Monitoring the Formation of Labor Organizations in Iran also previously condemned the verdict issued for Eshaaq Rouhi in a statement published on its Telegram channel and called for the annulment of the sentence.

Eshaaq Rouhi was arrested by security forces in the city of Sanandaj on International Workers’ Day (May 1st), and after 30 days of detention at the Information Office and the Central Prison of Sanandaj, he was temporarily released on June 12th after posting bail of 100 million tomans until the completion of legal proceedings.

According to available information, Branch Two of the Preliminary Examination Division of the General and Revolutionary Court of Sanandaj initially issued an order for 500 million tomans bail for the release of this labor activist; however, following Mr. Rouhi’s objection, the bail amount was reduced to 100 million tomans.

In recent months, following escalated labor protests, the Iranian government’s security crackdowns on labor activists have intensified.

The U.S. State Department has repeatedly condemned violent clashes and widespread suppression of protesters, as well as the repeated and continuous violations of the rights of Iranian citizens, including workers, by the ruling regime, stating that the Islamic Republic regime could have paid for workers’ rights in Iran with the amount it spent in Syria.

Source: Voice of America