At Least 35 Iranian Labor Activists and Two Journalists Arrested at International Workers’ Day Gathering
Reports from the gathering of Iranian workers on the occasion of International Workers’ Day in front of the Islamic Consultative Assembly indicate the arrest of dozens of participants and at least two journalists.
Eyewitnesses on Wednesday, May 1st, told Radio Farda that the number of arrested individuals exceeded 35 people, most of whom are members of the Tehran United Bus Drivers Company workers’ union.
According to them, the demonstrators were subjected to beatings before their arrest and in some cases were dragged on the ground.
Reza Shahabi, Hasan Saeidi, Vahid Faridonni, Mohammad Ali Aslahi, Rasoul Talib Moghadam, Asdollah Soleimani, Nasser Moharramzadeh, and Ms. Shiri are among those arrested, whom witnesses say were all transferred to the security police headquarters in Tehran’s Gheisha district.
Some reports also indicate that at least two journalists were arrested during this gathering, namely Keyvan Samimi and Marzieh Amiri.
Images released from the workers’ gathering show that they were protesting against rising prices and inflation. Another aspect of their demands was insistence on the right to independent labor organizations.
These arrests prompted a reaction from Amnesty International, which called the action “unlawful” and “arbitrary.”
The organization stated in a statement released on Wednesday that Iranian government forces have “arrested hundreds of workers and labor rights defenders” from last year’s International Workers’ Day to this year’s.
According to Amnesty International, these arrests are “part of an organized campaign to suppress unrest and public protests” that have been accompanied by “prison sentences” and sometimes “flogging.”
Amnesty International emphasizes in its statement that “Iranian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release workers and other activists who have been arrested for participating in peaceful protests and strikes or other actions that fall within the framework of the right to freedom of expression, assembly, and peaceful gatherings.”
The organization further refers to reports of “mistreatment of labor rights activists” and their “torture,” and calls on the Islamic Republic authorities to launch “impartial, independent, and effective investigations” in this regard and “bring the perpetrators to justice in courts that meet international fair trial standards.”
Amnesty International’s statement references Sepideh Ghanbarzadeh and Ismail Bakhshi, who have accused Iranian security forces of torturing them.
Ismail Bakhshi, a representative of imprisoned Haft Tappeh sugar cane workers, and Sepideh Ghanbarzadeh were arrested in connection with Haft Tappeh sugar cane workers’ protests. The two disclosed that they were tortured at the Ahvaz intelligence detention center, an allegation that Iranian authorities have denied. However, they say they are willing to testify in a fair trial regarding these tortures.
Amnesty International finally called on Iranian authorities to “remove the unlawful prohibition on forming independent unions and allow workers to participate in peaceful gatherings, including on the occasion of International Workers’ Day, and exercise their rights to form or join independent unions.”
One day before the arrests on International Workers’ Day, Hassan Rouhani, Iran’s president, described statistics related to workers as “encouraging” and called for workers to work more and be more cheerful.
