Follow the latest labor and union events in Iran during December 2018 here every day.
Latest Events
On December 30, 2018, civil activist Sepideh Ghalean announced her re-arrest early this morning. In a short tweet, she wrote: "I have been arrested." She stated that the broadcast of her and Ismail Bakhshi's forced confessions, along with several others on the TV program 'Burnt Design,' is further evidence of her torture during detention and emphasized that she will pursue this matter more seriously than before. Ghalean previously stated that she is ready to testify about the torture she and Bakhshi endured. Both Ghalean and Bakhshi were arrested during the strike of the Haft Tappeh sugarcane workers. Iranian television aired a film on Saturday night showing the forced confessions of Bakhshi, Ghalean, and Ali Nejati, a member of the Haft Tappeh Workers' Syndicate board. They and several others confessed in the film to connections with Marxist groups outside Iran. This accusation had previously been made by officials from Iran's Ministry of Intelligence, but the Workers' Communist Party denied it. The televised confessions were shown while Bakhshi's complaint regarding his torture is still under investigation in the Shush prosecutor's office.
On December 27, 2018, about 100 petrochemical workers in Assaluyeh went on strike in protest of five months of unpaid wages. The Free Workers' Union of Iran announced that these workers have not received their wages for five months. In this regard, the public relations office of Bushehr Petrochemical stated that the Bushehr petrochemical project is completed and that the company has settled accounts with all contractors. Therefore, the workers' gathering was due to the contractors' failure to meet their obligations to the workers. The Bushehr petrochemical workers expressed dissatisfaction with the contractors' performance, stating that the petrochemical management, as the parent employer, should collect their demands from the contractors. The non-payment of workers' wages in recent years has led to strikes in various regions of Iran.
On December 26, 2018, Ismail Bakhshi's lawyer, Farzaneh Zilabi, rejected the Attorney General's statements about her client's torture during detention. Mohammad Javad Montazeri denied that Bakhshi had been tortured and labeled him a criminal. Bakhshi stated that he was tortured during his 25-day imprisonment in the Ahvaz Intelligence Department's detention center. Zilabi, in an interview with the Telegram channel 'Emtedad,' related to the National Unity Party of Iran, added that some are trying to limit the timeframe of the torture to the time of transfer to detention and the punishment of a few escort officers, aiming to close the torture case against her client. She added that some are attempting to legitimize the documentation and confessions obtained under pressure during detention and, on that basis, convict Ismail Bakhshi. Zilabi stated that Bakhshi's complaint about torture is still under preliminary investigation in the Shush Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor's Office, saying, "The Attorney General's remarks denying her client's torture strongly reinforce the assumption of the prosecutor's office's lack of impartiality." Zilabi pointed out that commenting before a verdict is issued is legally prohibited. She described the statements of several members of parliament regarding the denial of Bakhshi's torture as 'political maneuvering' and 'mocking' the torture of a worker, suggesting that 'the minutes of the case should be published by the Shush prosecutor's office so that public opinion and conscience can judge.' Zilabi criticized the remarks of Mahmoud Vaezi, the head of the Iranian President's office, who, citing the Ministry of Intelligence's report, denied the torture of Ismail Bakhshi and spoke of the Ministry's right to sue him, saying, 'If the investigation and handling of a case are unfair and unjust, then the reputation of the system is at risk.' She addressed Vaezi, stating, 'The constitution is a national and universal covenant, and this covenant considers confessions under torture illegal. Therefore, instead of trying to exonerate violators of the constitution, deal with the perpetrators at any level, as their actions are the greatest threat and propaganda against the system.' Zilabi added, 'Everyone is trying to exonerate and purify, but this is not the way! Because either the gentlemen do not know the definition of torture, or they are pretending to be asleep.' This defense attorney also discussed the torture and physical and psychological abuse of Ismail Bakhshi and the lack of action by authorities to refer her client to a forensic doctor, stating, 'Some examples of torture against him include beating (during arrest and throughout detention), blindfolding, shackling, and tying to a chair, keeping in solitary confinement under inhumane conditions, attempting to instill betrayal to the homeland and pressuring him this way, denying access to his medications throughout detention, vulgar verbal insults, and denying access to his chosen lawyer.' According to her, 'Ismail Bakhshi's deprivation of visits with his family, especially his young child, creating documentation in the security detention center under pressure, eavesdropping on his private conversations with his wife and family, and abusing that content to pressure him and threatening to convict him and keep him in prison for life are other examples of torture' her client has faced. Iranian officials have consistently denied torture in prisons, but human rights organizations have repeatedly criticized the torture of prisoners.
On December 24, 2018, the Attorney General denied Ismail Bakhshi's torture claims, stating that 'there has been no specific beating or injury.' Ismail Bakhshi was arrested in late November after several weeks of protests by Haft Tappeh workers over unpaid wages, along with 17 other workers and civil activist Sepideh Ghalean. While some detainees were released within a week, Bakhshi's detention lasted 25 days, and Ghalean was released a few days after him. Bakhshi reported on his Instagram that during his detention, he was beaten and 'tortured' to the extent that 'for 72 hours in my cell, I could not move, and I was beaten so much that even the pain of sleeping was unbearable for me.'
On December 20, 2018, after four days of strike, the wages for November of Haft Tappeh workers were paid. ILNA news agency reported that the wages for November for thousands of Haft Tappeh workers were paid after four days of strikes in several sections of the unit. The Haft Tappeh Agro-Industry complex has been in the news recently due to labor protests, conflicting reports about the CEO's flight, the arrest of workers and their representatives, the issue of Ismail Bakhshi's 'torture' and its denial by government and judicial officials.
On December 20, 2018, the Reformist faction in parliament also denied Ismail Bakhshi's torture. Fatemeh Saidi, spokesperson for the Reformist faction known as the Hope faction, stated that Ismail Bakhshi explicitly stated in a session addressing his torture claims that he had not been beaten during detention. According to ISNA news agency, Saidi added that Bakhshi claimed he was beaten during his initial detention in Shush and during his transfer to Ahvaz. Saidi's statements came six days after the faction members met with Bakhshi, while this labor activist had previously spoken on his Instagram about his torture during his 25 days of detention in the Ahvaz Intelligence Department. This issue was also confirmed by Sepideh Ghalean, a civil activist who was arrested simultaneously with Bakhshi in Shush on November 27. Ghalean herself stated that she was tortured during her month of detention. According to ISNA, the spokesperson for the Hope faction noted that the responses from Mahmoud Alavi, the Minister of Intelligence, his deputies, and the officials of the Intelligence Department of Khuzestan Province confirmed that there was a confrontation during Bakhshi's transfer to Ahvaz but believed 'this confrontation was mutual and not a beating of the accused by the officers.' Previously, this issue was also raised by Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, head of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the parliament, in an interview with the House of Representatives news agency.
On December 20, 2018, more than 1,300 people supported Ismail Bakhshi's 'demand for justice' through an open letter. The signatories of this letter, written by civil and political activists inside and outside Iran, reached over 1,300. The signatories, under the title 'Don't Leave Us Alone in Pain,' referred to the 'physical and psychological torture' of Ismail Bakhshi, a representative of the Haft Tappeh workers, and Sepideh Ghalean, a civil activist, stating that 'government supporters' accuse them of 'lying and deny the beatings and oppression in prison.' They added that 'Ismail Bakhshi suffers greatly from the torture inflicted on him. For this reason, he has written an open letter requesting the right to seek justice and make his voice heard.' The letter mentioned that Bakhshi 'may even be arrested and tortured again for writing this letter.' Therefore, 'we, inside and outside the country, support Ismail Bakhshi's letter for justice.' The signatories declared that 'the era of tortured prisoners being denied is over.' They added, 'No oppression is worse than the denial of oppression. The only way to heal the wounds of Ismail Bakhshi and all prisoners who have been beaten, tortured, and abused in prison is to tell the truths. No medication can heal the physical and psychological wounds of a prisoner. Justice must be sought, and Ismail Bakhshi's letter is a call for justice.' Among the signatories are Mehdi Khanbabayi Tehrani, Abbas Samakar, Parastoo Farokhzad, Monireh Baradaran, Banu Saberi, Mehrnoush Mousavi, Asghar Izadi, Nasser Ashjari, Fakhri Shadfar, Raheleh Tarani, Hassan Nayeb Hashem, Behrouz Farahani, Sadegh Kargar, Amir Abbas Azarmvand, Mansoureh Behkish, Hadi Pakzad, Masoud Fathi, Behrouz Khaligh, Fariborz Raees Dana, and Mansoureh Shajai.
On December 20, 2018, at least 100 active and retired teachers gathered in front of the Kermanshah Education Department. According to ILNA news agency, the protesters, holding placards, demanded 'effective supplementary insurance, implementation of pension equalization, and an increase in living standards.' They stated that next year's budget was prepared without considering the demands of wage earners and requires fundamental revision. The protesters also announced that the budget for equalization is insufficient and called for its restoration. In this regard, videos circulated on social media showed the protesters chanting: 'The government is betraying - the parliament is supporting' and 'If one embezzlement is reduced - our problem will be solved' and 'The imprisoned teacher must be freed.' Previously, some teachers, both active and retired, had gathered in Isfahan on Wednesday. In recent years, protests and strikes by teachers have been held in response to livelihood issues and the privatization of education.
On December 19, 2018, Ismail Bakhshi stated that the groups formed by the government, parliament, and judiciary regarding his torture during detention in the Ministry of Intelligence had not spoken to him or heard his words by Wednesday night. Bakhshi also wrote on his Instagram, 'I have nothing to say, and I just say do not lie to the people.' Previously, several Iranian officials had denied the issue of Bakhshi's torture, citing what they called investigative committees. This labor activist stated last Friday that during his 25 days of detention, he was subjected to physical and psychological torture. The widespread reflection of this issue on social media has prompted reactions from Iranian officials. In this regard, the President of Iran and the head of the judiciary issued orders for investigative committees, the results of which have not yet been announced. A meeting was also held in the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the parliament on Tuesday, where Mahmoud Alavi, the Minister of Intelligence, denied Bakhshi's torture. This occurred while Ismail Bakhshi, who had been invited to participate in a television debate, was not present at that session.
On December 19, 2018, protests by several Tehran bus drivers regarding occupational issues were reported. The Syndicate of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company announced that drivers of this company protested on some routes.