Protests Resume in Isfahan; Farmers Rally Against the Government

Reports from Isfahan indicate that the protest march by Isfahani farmers and their families continued in the streets of the city on Tuesday, April 21. They chanted slogans against the government during this march. The new wave of protests by Isfahani farmers began in the last weeks of 2018, protesting the lack of their water rights. According to videos shared on social media, one of the protesters' slogans was directly against the government: 'Victory is from God and victory is near, death to this deceptive government.' Previously, farmers had accused Hassan Rouhani of lying during some of their gatherings and protests in March 2018. Based on reports from social media, farmers at the Tuesday march held banners stating: 'We demand our water rights and we stand until death.' They also wrote: 'We will revive our river.' Their reference was to the Zayandeh Rud, which has seen reduced water levels in recent years. According to the state news agency IRNA, the eastern regions of Isfahan, including cities and areas such as Ziar, Jarguyeh, Varzaneh, Azhieh, Harand, Baran, and Khorasgan, have a population of 300,000, most of whom are engaged in agriculture. However, drought has severely exposed them to job and livelihood problems. The total share of water rights for farmers in eastern Isfahan from the Zayandeh Rud is about 400 million cubic meters, but this amount has not been allocated in recent years, and despite the Zayandeh Rud flowing at some point last year, only about 40% of the 100,000 hectares of agricultural land in eastern Isfahan was cultivated. According to IRNA, due to the lack of water release for autumn cultivation, this figure has significantly decreased. Meanwhile, according to the Zayandeh Rud Coordination Council's resolution, given that the water reservoir in the Zayandeh Rud has reached its lowest level in the last 50 years, there is no possibility of reopening the Zayandeh Rud and distributing agricultural water in the current agricultural year. The farmers' march and their families on Tuesday, like on Sunday, April 18, and Monday, April 20, took place under the watch of anti-riot forces. According to videos shared on social media, a police officer asked the farmers not to continue their march. Meanwhile, according to ISNA news agency, Hassan Kamran, a member of parliament from Isfahan, criticized the Ministry of Energy's performance regarding the water shortage issue in this region, stating: 'For a decade, the water rights of Isfahani farmers have been looted.' He addressed the Ministry of Energy, saying: 'You said you would create a fund, where is your fund? What damages have you caused?' This parliament member noted that 'the bank issues arrest warrants for farmers who cannot pay their loans.' Previously, according to IRNA, Mohsen Mehralizadeh, the governor of Isfahan, announced on March 19 that 'three billion and 760 million tomans were paid to about 27,000 drought-affected farming families' in this region. According to ISNA, Hassan Kamran, in another part of his speech in parliament on Tuesday, criticized the treatment of protesting farmers, saying: 'Whenever farmers come out, they also get beaten,' and at the same time, he mentioned that one of the farmers 'lost one of his eyes.' This parliament member did not specify the timing of this event and did not provide further details. On Sunday, April 19, Hassan Kamran also criticized the treatment of farmers, stating that these farmers are 'the ones who stood up and confronted when there were riots in Isfahan.' Previously, some reports indicated clashes between anti-riot forces and protesting farmers in March and also on the Sunday of the current week. Previously, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesperson for the judiciary, had asked protesting Isfahani farmers on March 18 not to let opportunists position themselves in their ranks and distort their rights. In recent years, Isfahani farmers have protested against the transfer of Zayandeh Rud water to Yazd, and in 2012, a group of them broke water transfer pipes, leading to clashes with law enforcement and injuries among them. Last November, farmers also stationed their tractors at the entrance of Isfahan city as a sign of protest. Meanwhile, according to reports published in some Iranian media, Isfahani farmers are not the only ones facing water shortages. Reports indicate that regions such as Kahnuj in Kerman province and Sistan and Khuzestan province are also affected.