Protests by Disabled Individuals Held in Various Cities

Following the unresolved issues and unmet demands of the disabled community in the country, protests by individuals with disabilities were held today, Sunday, November 19, in various cities. According to "Havanan", the news agency of the Human Rights Activists in Iran, a number of these citizens gathered in front of and around the buildings of the Welfare Organization in different cities of Iran to protest the "non-implementation of Article 27 of the Disability Law." These protests took place in Ardabil, Ahvaz, Kermanshah, Tafresh, and other cities across the country. Article 27 of the Law on the Protection of Individuals with Disabilities mandates the government to "determine the livelihood assistance for individuals with severe or very severe disabilities who are unemployed and without income at the level of the annual minimum wage and to allocate the necessary credits in the annual budget laws of the country," but this law has not been implemented so far. This law is not being enforced while Behrouz Marouti, an activist in the field of disabilities, previously stated that not only is this law not being implemented, but the Planning and Budget Organization has also refrained from increasing the support payments for beneficiaries of supportive institutions by 40%. According to Marouti, currently, the support payment for the disabled is 655,000 tomans, which does not align with the poverty line of 15 million tomans and a livelihood basket of 20 million tomans. The government's monthly payment to disabled individuals is 273,000 tomans, showing a disregard for their rights. The Welfare Organization has transferred the "waqf" (endowed) treasury center for the blind. There have been summons and arrests of disabled individuals; Naser Sargaran, a blind lawyer, was arrested in Saqqez. Disabled individuals held a protest in front of the Islamic Republic's Presidential Office. There are also livelihood protests in several provinces of Iran; retirees stated: "We have handed the government over to thieves with both hands." Disabled individuals were beaten in a rehabilitation center in Bushehr; the Welfare Organization shut down "Niloufarane Abi."