ILNA Claims: Police Shooting at Workers in Takab Was 'Unintentional'

Following reports of police shooting at municipal workers in Takab, including from Voice of America, the ILNA news agency, affiliated with the Islamic Republic's Workers House, claimed on Wednesday, March 6, citing 'a labor source in Takab,' that the shooting was 'unintentional' and that only two of the four injured workers were hospitalized. The news agency also claimed that 'upon the arrival of police at the scene of the workers' protest, one of the officers drew his weapon; following this action, one of the workers intervened out of fear of the officer's action, a shot was fired, and it hit the ground, causing several shrapnel injuries to the workers.' Earlier information received by the Persian section of Voice of America indicated that following a gathering of several municipal workers in Takab on Monday, March 4, the Islamic Republic's police shot at them, resulting in at least four workers being injured. Additionally, it was reported that two of the workers required surgery. However, no further information on this matter has reached Voice of America, and it remains unclear what type of bullets were used. The reason for the protest by the Takab municipal workers was the non-payment of their January salaries and bonuses, as well as unpaid wages dating back to 2019. They gathered in front of the Takab City Council to protest this situation, after which council member Iraj Abbasi contacted the police. Following this phone call, police officers entered the City Council premises. According to received information, they clashed with the protesting workers, beat them, and shot at them. The Confederation of Iranian Workers – Abroad condemned the 'continuation of the systematic repression of workers in Iran.' On Wednesday, the Confederation sent a letter to international labor unions, referring to the shooting of Takab municipal workers by the Islamic Republic's police as 'the continuation of the systematic repression of workers in Iran' and called for this 'crime' to be condemned by them. The Confederation noted that at least four workers named Amir Raha, Maqsud Qorbanpour, Iraj Moradi, and Hamid Navidi were injured, with two of them in critical condition and needing surgery. This labor organization added: 'This brutal act is not only a manifestation of state violence against workers but also part of the long-standing pattern of governmental repression in Iran, which responds to any rightful protest with bullets.' The Confederation of Iranian Workers – Abroad stated that after the shooting of the Takab workers, the Islamic Republic's security forces attempted to erase all documents and evidence of this crime from the public space, and local and government officials have so far evaded responsibility. The Confederation pointed out that the Islamic Republic's police have repeatedly attacked workers' protests, beaten them, arrested, and imprisoned them. In the letter, it was mentioned that 'this is not the first time such armed violence has been used against workers.' It recalled that in 2003, during the reformist government of Mohammad Khatami, police officers shot at a gathering of workers from the Khatunabad copper mine in Kerman province, resulting in the deaths of four workers and a student, with several others injured. Additionally, during the livelihood protests in December 2017 and November 2019, when workers and lower-income groups took to the streets against rising prices and poverty, government forces killed thousands in the most severe manner, including direct gunfire. The Confederation of Iranian Workers – Abroad deemed these repressions as indicative of an entrenched policy that 'not only deprives workers of their basic rights but also responds to their rightful demands with deadly violence.' The labor organization noted that after the shooting of the Takab workers, the Islamic Republic's security forces attempted to erase all evidence of this crime from the public space, and local and government officials have so far evaded responsibility. The Confederation emphasized that 'this behavior, alongside the ongoing prevention of strikes and protests, the arrest and imprisonment of labor activists, threats, summons, dismissals, and suspensions, has effectively put workers at risk of destruction, and wrote: the Islamic Republic, through these actions, not only represses workers but effectively kills them and violates their right to life and security.' According to the letter, 'these repressions violate fundamental labor rights principles, including the freedom of association, as stipulated in ILO Conventions No. 87 and 98.' The Confederation of Iranian Workers – Abroad noted: 'Although Iran has not signed these conventions, as a member of the International Labor Organization, it is obligated to adhere to these principles and added: peaceful gatherings of workers to pursue their rights, as part of activities related to freedom of association, are implicitly protected by these conventions, and repressing them is considered a violation of these principles.' The organization also emphasized: 'Shooting at peaceful protesters violates Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (the right to life), which Iran supported in 1948, and Article 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (the right to peaceful assembly), which Iran ratified in 1975. These violations increase the responsibility of international bodies for immediate reaction.' The Confederation of Iranian Workers – Abroad called on all labor unions, international federations, and organizations defending workers' rights to 'strongly condemn this crime and increase international pressure against the Islamic Republic.' Another request from this labor organization to labor unions, international federations, and organizations defending workers' rights is to document this repression as a blatant violation of workers' and human rights in their reports against the Islamic Republic and to utilize it in forming a complaint case in bodies such as the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the UN Human Rights Council. This labor organization called for actions to support protesting workers in Iran to be prioritized, and for labor unions, international federations, and organizations defending workers' rights to urge their governments to apply diplomatic and practical pressures against the repressors, instigators, and perpetrators of these crimes.