Release of 15 Workers from Haft Tappeh Company and Continued Detention of Five Protesters

The prosecutor of Shush announced on Tuesday, November 20, the release of 15 individuals who were detained during the protests of the Haft Tappeh sugarcane workers. However, reports indicate that four representatives of the Haft Tappeh workers and one civil activist related to the workers' protests remain imprisoned. Mustafa Nazari, the prosecutor of Shush, stated that in recent days, 'individuals incited by certain factors disrupted public order and caused disturbances in some areas of the city and traffic.' He emphasized that '15 of the main instigators of the illegal gatherings' were arrested and subsequently released after 'investigations.' Meanwhile, the Telegram channel of the Iranian Workers' Free Union reported that despite the release of some detainees, Ismail Bakshi, Mohammad Khani Far, Moslem Armend, Hassan Fazeli from the detained workers, and Sepideh Gholian, a student and civil activist, are still imprisoned. Previously, reports indicated that at least 19 individuals were arrested in connection with the labor protests at Haft Tappeh on Sunday. On Tuesday, the Haft Tappeh workers, on the fifteenth day of their labor protests, marched in Shush and staged a sit-in in front of the courthouse, demanding the release of the detainees. ILNA news agency reported on Tuesday that the protests of the Haft Tappeh workers continued in front of the governor's office and throughout the city of Shush. The new wave of labor protests by the Haft Tappeh workers emerged following reports about the fleeing or imprisonment of the private employer of this unit. Ali Ashraf Pouri Hosseini, the head of the Privatization Organization, announced that one of the owners of this company is imprisoned, and the other owner has fled. The Haft Tappeh workers have protested what they call the 'endless problems' of this company and have also demanded the payment of their overdue wages. Government officials have promised that the overdue wages of the workers will be paid in the coming days. The Haft Tappeh workers have also called for the ownership of this unit to be transferred to the workers and managed by a workers' council, or for the ownership of the company to be returned to the public sector with oversight by a workers' council. This demand has so far been met with a negative response from the officials of Hassan Rouhani's government. Simultaneously, as the Haft Tappeh workers' strike continues in Shush, workers from the National Steel Group in Ahvaz are also on strike and gathered in front of the Ahvaz governor's office on Tuesday. Their demands include 'payment of four months of overdue wages,' 'resumption of production and provision of raw materials,' 'establishment of social and supplementary insurance,' and 'attention to the living conditions of the workers.' Some workers from this complex have been arrested in recent months due to their participation in labor protests.