Human Rights in Iran: 2,541 rallies and strikes, 53% increase in arrests of workers
The "Group of Human Rights Activists in Iran" organization, in its annual report on the human rights situation in Iran in 2021, reported the holding of 2,541 union and labor gatherings and strikes, including 1,261 union gatherings, 192 union strikes, 618 labor gatherings, 339 labor strikes, and 131 hunger strikes by prisoners.
These gatherings have typically been met with confrontation and repression by government institutions. In addition to large gatherings such as the Isfahan protests that were met with widespread government repression, according to this report, during the current year, 64 labor activists have been arrested and 9 labor activists or workers' rights defenders have been sentenced to "276 months of imprisonment, 124 lashes, and a fine of twenty-three million tomans," and the number of workers arrested has increased by 53 percent compared to the previous year.
According to the report, the focus of these protests has been “guild wage demands, protest against poor economic conditions, and protest against the inefficient management of government institutions.” In recent weeks, numerous groups of teachers, retirees, and workers have also gone on strike, and retirees protesting against their living conditions are scheduled to hold a protest rally today.
The annual report of the "Group of Human Rights Activists in Iran" organization, referring to the increasing pressure on ethnic minority citizens, reported a 55% increase in the arrest of minorities compared to 2020, and stated that 445 ethnic minority citizens have been arrested during the current year.
The report also refers to the situation of executions in Iran, stating that 299 people have been executed this year, a 26 percent increase over the previous year, and that "88% of those executed were executed secretly or without announcement in the official or domestic media."
The process of issuing death sentences has continued this year, with 85 people sentenced to death. According to the report, 4 of the executed were child offenders, and 4 percent of those executed had security and political charges.
According to the 13th annual report of the Iranian Human Rights Organization, published in April of this year, in 2020, Iran was “the only country that continued to execute child criminals.”
Kazem Gharibabadi, Secretary of the Human Rights Headquarters of the Iranian Judiciary, on Saturday, December 16, following the adoption of a resolution by the United Nations on human rights violations in Iran regarding the death penalty for persons under the age of 18, called the number of such executions in Iran "countable" and said, "There is no binding international obligation that persons under the age of 18 should not receive the death penalty."
In addition, during this period, judicial authorities in Iran have issued sentences of 16,531 months in prison, 6,982 lashes, and fines of approximately 800 million Tomans, and security and military forces have arrested 1,676 citizens and shot a total of 242 citizens, killing 94 citizens, including 23 kolbars and 31 fuel tankers.
In another section of the annual report by the "Group of Human Rights Activists in Iran" on the status of women's and children's rights in Iran, various statistics are cited, including at least "20,187 cases of spousal abuse and 24 cases of honor killings of women," "2,117 cases of child abuse and 15 cases of rape and sexual abuse of children, 54 cases of child suicide, 2 cases of acid attacks, 29 cases of child trafficking and sale, and the marriage of more than 9,000 children," and it is stated that during this period, "25 people under the age of 18 were arrested by security agencies."
Source: Radio Farda
