At Least 15 Steel Workers Arrested; Ahvaz City Described as Security-Controlled
Following the continued strikes and protest gatherings of workers from Iran’s National Steel Group in Ahvaz, news sources close to the workers reported the arrest of at least 15 people by security forces.
According to reports from sources close to the workers, including the Free Union of Iranian Workers, security forces raided workers’ homes in the industrial complex late Sunday night and arrested 15 people. It remains unclear where the arrested workers have been transferred.
Meysam Alighannati, Isa Maraei, Amin Alowani, Morteza Akbarian, Tareq Khalafi, Masoud Affari, Jafar Sobhani, Mostafa Obayyat, Gharib Hoveizavi, Hossein Davudi, Karim Siahi, Meysam Ale Mahdi, Hamed Basri, Hafez Kananani, and Hamed Joodaki are among the arrested workers from Iran’s National Steel Group in Ahvaz.
According to reports, the security forces entered without presenting an arrest warrant. Officers attempted to arrest additional workers but were unsuccessful due to their absence. It has also been reported that many workers were forced to spend the night on the streets of Ahvaz to avoid arrest.
Karim Siahi was among the workers who had repeatedly spoken at protest gatherings, raising criticisms against Islamic Republic officials.
Tareq Khalafi also spoke at the Saturday gatherings among the workers and announced that if workers’ problems are not addressed by the end of the week, 1,500 workers will gather in Tehran.
Some reports from labor sources indicate that on Monday, officials from Ahvaz’s special unit, along with the commander of the West Ahvaz police station, entered Iran’s National Steel Group industrial complex and threatened that if gatherings are held, they will arrest the workers.
It has been reported that special unit forces, along with water cannon vehicles, are stationed across from the Khuzestan governorate building and courthouse to prevent workers’ gatherings from forming. It has also been said that on Naderi Street, between the governorate building and the White Bridge in Ahvaz, plainclothes individuals are present alongside security forces.
Nevertheless, published images show that workers from Iran’s National Steel Group in Ahvaz resumed their protest gathering on Monday as well.
Ahvaz steel workers have been on strike and holding protest gatherings for over a month. These workers previously came to the streets of Ahvaz wearing shrouds in protest. They are demanding the resumption of production, the return of ownership of this complex from the National Bank to the government, and full payment of their overdue wages.
Following labor protests and as security and judicial crackdowns on protesting workers by the Islamic Republic have intensified, the Free Union of Iranian Workers and the Syndicate of Tehran United Company Workers have condemned these arrests.
Previously, the protests of workers from Iran’s National Steel Group in Ahvaz were also supported by international bodies, including the U.S. State Department and the International Confederation of Labor.
Source: Voice of America
