Lawyer for Haft Tappeh Sugar Cane Workers Reports Arrest of Four Striking Workers

Farzaneh Zilabi, lawyer for workers at Haft Tappeh Sugar Cane Company, announced the detention of four workers from this agricultural-industrial facility by the police intelligence and security forces of Shush county.

One month after the strike and march of Haft Tappeh Sugar Cane Company workers, Ms. Zilabi said on Tuesday in an interview with Emtedad, affiliated with the Islamic Union Party of Iran, that four of her clients—Moslem Cheshmehkhavar, Youssef Bahmani, Ebrahim Abbasi, and Mohammad Khanifer—were arrested by the police intelligence and security forces of Shush county and transferred to Dezful Prison.

The independent channel of Haft Tappeh workers reported that Shush security police officers treated these four workers violently during their arrest.

According to Farzaneh Zilabi, Mr. Khanifer and Mr. Bahmani were arrested while they were infected with coronavirus and were in their recovery period.

She considered the arrest of these two workers under current circumstances to be inconsistent with law, logic, Islamic law, and ethics. She added that Mohammad Reza Dabiriyan, another Haft Tappeh Sugar Cane worker, who had previously been summoned by the public prosecutor and revolutionary court of Shush county on charges of “insulting officials and spreading lies and slander,” has been sentenced to 222 lashes as a disciplinary punishment.

According to this report, the sentence of 222 lashes was issued while this worker is infected with coronavirus and has requested a postponement of the court hearing.

Farzaneh Zilabi added that according to the Code of Criminal Procedure, her client’s excuse was justified and legal.

Ms. Zilabi pointed out that Mr. Dabiriyan’s conviction took place in an “illegal session” because her client was not present due to coronavirus infection and “there was no possibility of informing him of the charges and essentially no possibility for the defendant to defend himself.”

According to this report, the complainant against this Haft Tappeh worker was the head of Shush security police.

The lawyer defending Haft Tappeh workers asked the judiciary to investigate, before it is too late, what she called the illegal proceedings in the cases of Haft Tappeh workers in Shush courts and the instigators and hidden hands behind it.

Previously, the independent channel of Haft Tappeh workers had accused the governor of Khuzestan province and government and judicial officials of that province as well as Shush county of financial corruption and supporting the private owner of this company, and called for their dismissal and prosecution.

Security and judicial actions against Haft Tappeh workers took place while Hatem Shakermi, Deputy Minister of Labor at the Ministry of Cooperative, Labor and Social Welfare, had asked the workers of this company a week earlier to return to work and, while “carrying out their job activities, refrain from any gatherings, strikes, and work stoppages.”

This government official had said: “The Islamic Labor Council should provide necessary cooperation with the management of this institution for the continuation of workers’ activities.”

He had asked the specialized agencies of Khuzestan province to address the issue of Haft Tappeh Sugar Cane Company from a specialized perspective and “prevent the reflection of the company’s issues in labor spheres, particularly problems such as sit-ins and gatherings inside or outside the company’s premises and city level.”

Also, Mohammad Baqer Olfat, Deputy for Social Affairs and Crime Prevention of the Judiciary, referring to the judiciary’s opposition to any workers’ gatherings and protest movements, had said: “Workers should pursue all their protests and requests solely through legal channels so that the ground for any abuse and crisis-creation by the enemies of the system is not created.”

The Haft Tappeh Sugar Cane Company workers’ strike began one month ago. Receiving delayed wages, deposit of insurance rights, rehiring of dismissed colleagues, cancellation of privatization, and arrest of the company’s CEO are among the demands of the striking workers.

So far, only one month’s wages have been paid to thousands of Haft Tappeh workers, and promises have been made regarding the wages for the months of Ordibehesht and Tir that will be paid by August 2nd.

However, Islamic Republic officials have so far not commented on the rehiring of dismissed colleagues, cancellation of privatization, and the arrest of Omid Asadbeigi, CEO of Haft Tappeh Sugar Cane Company.

Omid Asadbeigi, along with Mehrdad Rostami-Chegini, chairman of the company’s board of directors, and several others, have been accused of embezzling 1.5 billion dollars.

Haft Tappeh Sugar Cane Company, with an area of 24,000 hectares, was handed over to Omid Asadbeigi and Mehrdad Rostami-Chegini in winter 2015 with an advance payment of six billion tomans.

The company subsequently faced numerous problems, including prolonged delays in wage payments, which led to protests by its workers.

Haft Tappeh workers have repeatedly called for the cancellation of private ownership of this company. They say that Haft Tappeh Sugar Cane Company should be placed under state ownership or handed over to workers. Hassan Rouhani’s government has opposed this demand.

Meanwhile, Esmail Mohammadvali, a journalist, and a photographer accompanying him who were arrested by Shush security police, were released after one day.

Source: Radio Farda