Comprehensive Report on 'Human Rights Violations in Iran'; Major Role of 'Livelihood Issues' in Protests

According to the comprehensive report on 'Human Rights Violations in Iran', 75% of the total 2021 protests in Iran this year were related to livelihood issues, conducted by trades, workers, and market or stock market victims. Additionally, out of 145 strikes reported by these two human rights organizations, 143 were related to livelihood issues. This report, published by the two human rights organizations 'Dadgostar' and 'Human Rights Activists in Iran' for the period from January 1 to December 20, 2023, stated that during this period, 64 workers were arrested. Meanwhile, 29 labor activists or defenders of workers' rights were sentenced to a total of 654 months in prison. The report emphasized that half of the prison sentences for labor activists were issued by the appeals court. Flogging, monetary fines, and exile were other punishments for labor activists. During the current calendar year, 17 labor activists were sentenced to 1258 lashes and a monetary fine of 42 million and 500 thousand tomans. Furthermore, two workers received a 48-month exile sentence. In 2023, at least 1266 trade protests, 4 instances of protest prevention, and 32 trade strikes occurred. The annual report from these two human rights organizations shows that trade protests and strikes constituted a significant portion of the livelihood protests in Iran in 2023. The data indicates that at least 1266 trade protests and 32 trade strikes occurred during the review period. Most of these protests were related to wage demands, protests against poor economic conditions, and objections to the ineffective management of state institutions. The report discusses the status of jobs, unions, and trades, noting that traders received 3056 instances of business closures this year. According to the report's data, 31 instances of arrest of trade activists were recorded, resulting in 1212 months of prison sentences and 18 months of suspended sentences. Half of this amount was issued by the appeals court. Additionally, 2 individuals were sentenced to 24 months of exile, 72 lashes, and 13 individuals were deprived of social rights and fined 127 million and 700 thousand tomans. In the trade sector, the issuance of sentences by the judiciary based on the number of individuals prosecuted increased by 112%, and the issuance of prison sentences by the judiciary also increased by 30% compared to 2022. The comprehensive report on 'Human Rights Violations in Iran' indicates that the issuance of prison sentences for workers shows a 458% increase compared to the previous year. Additionally, the arrest of workers during this period increased by 20%. This year, protesting market victims held at least 117 protests. The protesters included groups of market victims, credit fund members, and stock market participants. The provinces of Tehran, Qazvin, and Hormozgan accounted for the highest number of protests from among the 31 provinces of Iran witnessing these protests. The report reminds that the available data, due to the inequality in monitoring focus in Tehran and large cities compared to remote areas, has been unable to record human rights violations in many locations. In another section of this report, a total of 4399 reports of gross human rights violations in Iran were collected, with the judiciary at the top with 2654 cases, followed by the executive branch with 1317 cases and the Supreme Leader's institution with 428 cases of human rights violations. The two human rights organizations 'Dadgostar' and 'Human Rights Activists in Iran' considered this level of human rights violations as indicative of a systematic pattern of human rights violations at various levels of the Islamic Republic. They stated that the high number of cases attributed to judicial authorities, especially in the Islamic Revolutionary Courts, raises serious concerns about the fairness and impartiality of the judicial process. Furthermore, the extensive interference of intelligence and security organizations, including the Ministry of Intelligence and the Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, indicates a coordinated approach to suppress dissent.