14 Haftappeh Sugar Cane Workers Arrested
According to the Haftappeh Sugar Cane Workers Union, 14 workers from the company have been arrested. Some official Iranian media outlets have also confirmed the news of the arrest of a number of these workers.
The Haftappeh Sugar Cane Workers Union announced on its Telegram channel that 14 workers from the company were arrested yesterday.
According to the labor organization’s report, on Sunday, October 6 (Mehr 14), three Haftappeh sugar cane workers named Youssef Bahmani, Mahmoud Khodai, and Iman Akhari were arrested by security police in Haftappeh.
The Haftappeh Sugar Cane Workers Union added on its Telegram channel: “Additionally, eleven other workers from Haftappeh who were heading to Tehran to meet with members of the Parliament’s Social Commission were arrested at a toll booth on the Khorramabad-Tehran highway, coordinated by the Shush Intelligence and Security police.”
The union stated the reason for the arrest of these workers as “unknown.” Iran’s Labor News Agency “ILNA” also confirmed that “last night, a number of Haftappeh sugar cane workers intended to come to Tehran to meet with members of the Parliament’s Social Commission but were apparently arrested on the way.”
According to the news agency’s report: “Among these workers were members of the Islamic Labor Council of this industrial unit who intended to meet and consult with Parliament representatives regarding the problems of this production facility. Haftappeh workers expressed concern about these workers.”
According to ILNA: “Apparently, Haftappeh workers’ protests today continue with demands for the return to work of laid-off colleagues; these workers have been demanding the reinstatement of more than twenty dismissed colleagues for over ten days.”
The Haftappeh Sugar Cane Workers Union condemned the arrest of workers from the company as “an extremely reprehensible, ugly, and anti-labor action” and demanded “the unconditional release of all detainees.”
The labor organization listed the names of workers arrested at “Khorramabad toll booth” as Mohammad Khanifer, Ibrahim Abbasi Manjezi, Omid Azadi, Hassan Javadi Kohangi, Mahdi Davudi, Mohammad Omidvar, Emad Kasir, and Bani Saad. The names of three other workers remain unknown.
The Haftappeh Sugar Cane Workers Union also reported last Monday about the summoning of approximately 40 workers from the company to Shush security police and announced that a total of 170 workers of this complex have been laid off or are on the verge of dismissal.
Hundreds of workers at the Haftappeh Sugar Cane Complex began their strike two weeks ago in protest against the dismissal of at least 20 colleagues by the company’s private employer. Some of these workers were previously sentenced to heavy penalties including imprisonment and lashing by the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Shush.
Workers’ demands include the cancellation of Haftappeh Sugar Cane’s privatization, the release of imprisoned workers, the annulment of heavy sentences for Esmail Bakhshi and Mohammad Khanifer, “non-prosecution of workers by security forces,” and protests against non-payment of their overdue wages.
Despite Iran’s head of the judiciary emphasizing last week the necessity of “hearing” workers’ protests, the judiciary has imposed a total of 110 years of imprisonment for seven defendants in the “Haftappeh protests case file.” Among them, Esmail Bakhshi, a representative of Haftappeh Sugar Cane workers, was sentenced by the Tehran Revolutionary Court to 14 years of imprisonment and 74 lashes, and Mohammad Khanifer, another worker at the company, was sentenced by the Shush Revolutionary Court to six years of imprisonment. Several other Haftappeh workers have also received imprisonment and lashing sentences.
Additionally, Sepideh Qolian, journalist and civil activist, as well as Amirhossein Mohammadifarad, Sanaz Elahiyari, Amir Amirqoli, and Asal Mohammadi, members of the internet publication “Gam,” were each sentenced to 18 years of imprisonment following the Haftappeh Sugar Cane workers’ protests.
Source: DW
