Ismail Gerami, Retired Workers' Activist, Summoned to Tehran's Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor's Office

The Syndicate of Workers of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company reported on Saturday, May 15, that Ismail Gerami, a retired worker and activist for retirees, has been summoned to the third branch of the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor's Office in District 33 of Tehran. According to a notification issued on May 10, Mr. Gerami must appear within 5 days for what has been termed 'defense against the attributed charges' at the third branch of the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor's Office in District 33 of Tehran (Shahid Moghaddas - Evin). In recent years, Ismail Gerami has been arrested and imprisoned due to his union activities. In recent months, he has repeatedly criticized the policies of the Islamic Republic regarding workers and retirees in notes published on the Telegram channels of union organizations. For instance, on May 7, he wrote in a note titled 'So, what should we retirees do now?' that: 'As far as we know you, you will tell us to go home, hug our knees in sorrow, pray and curse, and cry for our poverty and misery, and erase Article 96 of social security from our minds. But no!! We... will go our own way, the path we have experienced and learned from. We will go to the streets until we take our rights; victory is ours.' In recent years, retirees from social security, steel, telecommunications, and other sectors in various cities of Iran have held numerous gatherings demanding improvements in living conditions, including salary increases, the implementation of salary equalization, and access to appropriate insurance. These demands have received support from labor and teachers' organizations. A group of retirees gathered in front of the Social Security Organization on International Workers' Day. Ismail Gerami, a imprisoned retiree, stated that the Iranian government's claim of respecting human rights is 'nothing but a lie.' The monthly income of retired workers in Iran is less than 10 million tomans. The expansion of protest gatherings coincides with increasing pressures; at least 19 gatherings were held on May 13. Statements from union organizations on International Workers' Day called for the annulment of prison and exile sentences for all activists.