Retired Protesters Gathered in Six Provinces

On Tuesday, September 12, protests over living conditions in Iran continued with gatherings of retired civil servants, including educators, in the provinces of Gilan, Ilam, Kurdistan, Lorestan, Hamadan, and Kermanshah. According to images shared on social media, retirees and pensioners gathered in at least the cities of Rasht, Ilam, Sanandaj, Khorramabad, Hamadan, and Kermanshah, chanting slogans in protest against their living conditions and the neglect of their demands. The protesting retirees shouted slogans such as 'High prices, inflation, a plague on the people', 'Implementation of equalization is our legitimate right', 'Raisi the liar, where are your promises?', and 'We will not rest until we receive our rights'. In recent days, the Free Union of Iranian Workers sent a letter to the 'International Labor Union Section in the World', urging them to consider issues related to the 'widespread repression of workers, teachers, retirees, and all groups of working wage earners and independent organizations' as a 'continuation of the violent and blatant violation of workers' human rights in Iran.' Foad Keykhosravi, a board member of this union, told Voice of America: 'The depth of the violation of workers' rights and the repression of labor movement activists has taken on very catastrophic dimensions.' Jamshid Asadi, an economist, stated to Voice of America that what has broken the back of the Iranian economy is 'resistance economy'.