Arrest of Four Individuals on the Fourteenth Day of Haft Tappeh Workers' Protests

Following reports about the arrest of Esmail Bakhti, the representative of the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Workers and two others, the governor of Khuzestan confirmed the arrest of four individuals in connection with these protests. The Haft Tappeh Workers' Syndicate announced on Sunday that Esmail Bakhti, along with another worker representative, Moslem Armand, and a female journalist, were arrested and transferred to the security office of Shush County. According to reports, workers who rallied and gathered on Sunday, marking the fourteenth day of their labor protests in Shush, demanded the release of those arrested. Meanwhile, Gholamreza Shariati, the governor of Khuzestan, mentioned that four individuals were arrested in connection with the Haft Tappeh workers' protests without naming them. Earlier, special forces had been deployed in the Haft Tappeh area and Shush County on Saturday morning, but reports indicated that these forces had exited Shush on Sunday. Before his arrest, Esmail Bakhti criticized the deployment of special forces to the area in a speech, which was filmed and circulated on social media, questioning why they pointed their weapons at the people and stating that the protesting workers only had labor demands. He made these statements after the special forces had closed the company's gates. Additionally, according to the Telegram channel Emtehad, Haft Tappeh workers protested for the fourteenth consecutive day in front of the Shush County governor's office, during which 'some workers had minor clashes with the stationed law enforcement forces.' The Haft Tappeh workers protested against what they termed 'endless problems' of the company and demanded the payment of their overdue wages. Earlier reports indicated that the private employer of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company had either fled or been imprisoned, and on Sunday, Gholamhossin Mohseni Ejei, the judiciary spokesperson, announced that the employer had escaped. Concurrently, the workers of the National Steel Group in Ahvaz are also on strike. Protesters gathered on Saturday, marking the eighth day of their strike, in front of the governor's office and the judiciary of Khuzestan. Using Telegram channels of the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Syndicate and the Free Workers' Union, news agencies such as IRNA, Young Journalists Club, and Radio Farda reported on this situation.