Assault on a Street Vendor; This Time in Urmia

ILNA reported on Tuesday, December 1, that "after a confrontation between municipal sidewalk enforcement officers in Fuman and a female street vendor, who was slapped by one of these officers, this time in Urmia, a street vendor was assaulted by municipal officers." According to the report, a video of the incident was also shared on social media on November 29. In this video, an individual who had fallen to the ground after having their belongings confiscated was beaten again by a sidewalk enforcement officer, and a police officer intervened to prevent further assault on the vendor. ILNA noted without further explanation that "apparently, these days, the plan to confront street vendors has become a priority for municipalities." The news agency added: "Sidewalk enforcement officers are heading to the streets in various cities and are collecting street vendors with the harshest methods, as they claim." ILNA reported on the reaction of municipal officials after these incidents were publicized, stating that officials always announce that the offending sidewalk officer will be dismissed. According to the report, the mayor of Urmia announced that "the offending municipal officer will be dealt with and dismissed, and an apology will be issued to the respected vendor after reviewing the incident." The video related to the assault on the vendor in Urmia was published in citizen media: Mayor of Fuman: We are determined to collect street vendors. Previously, following the media coverage of a municipal officer slapping a female street vendor in Fuman, the mayor condemned the actions of the sidewalk enforcement employee. According to the website 'Alef', Hoshang Abbasgholizadeh said: "Collecting sidewalk vendors must be based on legal regulations, and municipal officers have no right to engage in physical confrontations, and legal action will definitely be taken against this offending officer, and there is a possibility of his dismissal." However, the mayor of Fuman told the Etemad newspaper on December 1 that "we have suspended him from work, but it is not that easy to dismiss him." He mentioned that prior to this physical confrontation, the municipal officer had been assaulted by the vendor's child with a chair, adding: "It would have been appropriate for our colleague at that time to control his anger by ignoring the insults." The mayor of Fuman announced that collecting street vendors is a legal task, stating: "We have allocated a place for all street vendors, and despite the fact that they have all been moved to a new location, this woman still remains in her previous spot." Additionally, according to Tasnim news agency, Hoshang Abbasgholizadeh mentioned that a group of officials from Fuman County have consoled the female street vendor, and the offending officer was also present in this gathering, stating: "The incident should have ended peacefully and through mediation." Nevertheless, according to the mayor of Fuman, "the lady has been resisting relocation for months, and the Fuman municipality has a warrant for her arrest in legal proceedings." He expressed dissatisfaction with the "widespread dissemination of the video of the assault on the female vendor on social media," referring to previous confrontations between municipal workers and street vendors, adding: "Previously, street vendors had clashed with our workers and had stabbed them, but we did not publicize it for the sake of our city's interests." Meanwhile, Yahya Kamali-Pour, Vice Chairman of the Judicial and Legal Commission of the Parliament, stated that the municipal officer's action of slapping the female vendor is considered a crime, speaking to the House of Parliament news agency. He said: "The municipality must deal with street vendors according to legal regulations." This parliament member pointed out that any action outside the legal framework by municipal officers to clear sidewalks is "wrong and unacceptable," emphasizing that respecting the rights of citizens is a significant principle, and no individual is allowed to insult or assault people arbitrarily, either morally or legally. In this context, the Etemad newspaper on Tuesday, December 1, quoted the female vendor saying: "That day, two sidewalk enforcement officers from Fuman municipality asked me to gather my vegetables and pickles. I arranged my items next to a tree on the sidewalk, but they returned a few minutes later in a personal capacity and began to insult me and kicked my belongings. They broke my pickle jars and threw my vegetables into their pickup truck." She added: "When I was resisting, one of them slapped me in the face. However, another officer, who is not visible in the video, ordered him to hit me." However, according to Etemad, the officer who slapped the female vendor claimed, despite apologizing, that after the woman insulted his deceased father, he lost control and slapped her. The female vendor, rejecting this claim, told Etemad: "I have been selling vegetables and pickles on the street where the incident occurred for seven years. My son and I did not insult the officer that day. These statements are lies, and everything is clear in the video. Those who were present testified that the confrontation was initiated by the sidewalk enforcement officers themselves." She stated that "her character was questioned" and added: "I filed a complaint, but I do not know the outcome... A few days ago, some artists came to my house and said: 'If you allow us, we will get you a shop so you can do business there, but I refused and said that this would not restore my dignity.'" According to Etemad, the female vendor returned to the same location and continued selling her products. She told Etemad: "Even if they kill me, I cannot go anywhere else. After that incident, I still went back and sold my items there for a few hours and then returned. After the incident, I became ill and stayed home more, but I will return to my workplace. My livelihood is there, and I must do business there." In response, the mayor of Fuman commented on the female vendor's return to the location, stating: "We are determined to collect street vendors." The confrontations between municipal sidewalk enforcement officers and street vendors have also been present in recent years. In this context, one can refer to the self-immolation of two street vendors in the cities of Tabriz and Khorramshahr in the spring of last year. Previously, Ali Cheraghi, a 41-year-old worker, was injured in August 2014 after being assaulted with a knuckle duster on Tehran Pars Street by several individuals identified as waste recycling contractors, and he died in the hospital.