Protesting workers are in debt! Raisii: They are pursuing other goals
While the increasing economic and livelihood problems in Iran have led to protests by various segments of the population, including workers, to receive their outstanding demands and salaries, and even officials in the Islamic Republic have admitted to the spread of public discontent, Ebrahim Raisi, the head of Iran's judiciary, says that some are "pursuing other goals under the guise of labor issues."
According to Iranian media reports, Raisi said that "such actions should not be blamed on the workers" and that the workers themselves "must stand up against those who pollute the atmosphere of labor protests."
Over the past months, after Ebrahim Raisi's appointment as head of the judiciary, some political figures and groups in Iran, including reformists, welcomed his appointment.
The remarks by the head of Iran's judiciary come at a time when dozens of workers, including those who had gone to the venue to support or report on the event, were arrested during the International Workers' Day celebrations in Iran in May of this year.
Recently, Marzieh Amiri, a journalist who was arrested during the International Workers' Day ceremony, was sentenced by the judiciary to "148 lashes" and "ten and a half years in prison."
Nasrin Khozri Javadi, a member of the Free Union of Iranian Workers, was among those arrested during the International Workers' Day celebrations and was recently sentenced to seven years in prison and 74 lashes.
Protesting workers at the Haft Tapeh Sugar Company are among other groups who faced arrest and various judicial rulings after their protests last year.
Esmaeil Bakhshi, a representative of Haft Tappeh sugarcane workers, and Sepideh Gholian, a civil activist, are among those detained in connection with these protests.
Today, Monday, September 24, ILNA reported that 9 workers of the Haft Tapeh Sugar Company were sentenced to 8 months in prison and 30 lashes.
The Islamic Republic regime's security and judicial response to workers' protests has led human rights organizations to repeatedly express concern about the repression of protesters and workers in Iran.
The United States has also repeatedly condemned Iran's security crackdown on workers. The US State Department recently said in a message that the Islamic Republic's regime could have paid the salaries of workers in Iran with the money it spent in Syria.
Source: Voice of America
