14 Haft Tappeh sugarcane workers arrested
According to the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Workers' Union, 14 workers from the company have been arrested. Some official Iranian media outlets have also confirmed the arrest of a number of these workers.
The Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Workers' Union announced on its Telegram channel that 14 workers from the company were arrested yesterday.
According to this labor organization, yesterday, Sunday, October 6, three Haft Tappeh sugarcane workers, named Yousef Bahmani, Mahmoud Khodai, and Iman Akhdari, were arrested by security police in Haft Tappeh.
The Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Workers' Union added on its Telegram channel: "Also, eleven other Haft Tappeh workers who were on their way to Tehran to meet with representatives of the Parliament's Social Commission were arrested at the toll booths of the Khorramabad-Tehran highway, in coordination with the Susa Intelligence and Security Police."
The union has stated that the reason for the workers’ arrest is “unknown.” The Iranian labor news agency ILNA also confirmed that “last night, a number of Haft Tappeh sugarcane workers were planning to come to Tehran to meet with members of the parliament’s social commission, but they were apparently arrested midway through.”
According to the news agency: "Among these workers were members of the Islamic Council of Workers of this industrial unit who intended to meet and consult with members of parliament regarding the problems of this production unit. The Haft Tappeh workers expressed concern about these workers."
According to ILNA: "Apparently, the protests of Haft Tappeh workers are continuing today, demanding the return of their dismissed colleagues; for more than ten days, these workers have been demanding the return of more than twenty of their dismissed colleagues."
The Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Workers' Union has condemned the arrest of the company's workers as "an extremely reprehensible, ugly, and anti-labor act" and has called for the "unconditional release of all those arrested."
The labor organization has named the workers who were arrested in the “Khorramabad factory” as Mohammad Khanifar, Ebrahim Abbasi Monjezi, Omid Azadi, Hassan Javadi Kohangi, Mehdi Davoudi, Mohammad Omidvar, Emad Kathir, and Bani Saad. The names of the other three workers are still unknown.
Last Monday, the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Workers' Union announced the summoning of about 40 workers from the company to the Susa Security Police, and announced that a total of 170 workers from the complex had been fired or were on the verge of being fired.
Hundreds of workers at the Haft Tappeh sugarcane complex began their strike two weeks ago to protest the dismissal of at least 20 of their colleagues by the company's private employer. A number of these workers have previously been sentenced to severe punishments, such as imprisonment and flogging, by the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Shusha.
The workers' demands include the cancellation of the privatization of Haft Tappeh sugarcane, the release of imprisoned workers, the cancellation of the heavy sentences of Esmaeil Bakhshi and Mohammad Khanifer, "the cessation of the persecution of workers by security agents," and a protest against the non-payment of their arrears.
Despite the fact that the head of Iran’s judiciary last week emphasized the need to “hear” the workers’ protests, the judiciary has sentenced seven defendants in the “Hafttapeh protests case” to a total of 110 years in prison. In the meantime, Ismail Bakhshi, a representative of the Hafttapeh sugarcane workers, was sentenced to 14 years in prison and 74 lashes by the Tehran Revolutionary Court, and Mohammad Khanifer, another worker at the company, was sentenced to six years in prison by the Shusha Revolutionary Court. Several other Hafttapeh sugarcane workers have also received prison sentences and lashes.
Sepideh Gholian, a journalist and civil activist, as well as Amir Hossein Mohammadifard, Sanaz Allahyari, Amir Amirgholi, and Asal Mohammadi, members of the online publication "Gam", have each been sentenced to 18 years in prison following protests by Haft Tappeh sugarcane workers.
Source: DW
