Retirees Protest in Ahvaz; Victims Gather in Tehran: 'We Don't Want a Corrupt Prosecutor'

On Tuesday, April 17, protests over economic conditions in Iran continued with gatherings of victims from the companies 'Taravat Novin' and 'Razayat Khodro' in front of the Presidential Office in Tehran, as well as a gathering of retirees from the Social Security Organization and retired educators in Ahvaz. According to reports shared on social media, on Tuesday, the victims of Razayat Khodro and Taravat Novin chanted slogans such as 'Raisi, Raisi, the house of thieves in Qazvin' and 'We don't want a corrupt prosecutor.' Meanwhile, a number of retirees from the Social Security Organization, along with retired educators, held a protest in Ahvaz carrying placards. These protesting retirees shouted slogans including 'Our rights can only be obtained on the streets' and 'Military, civil, steelworkers, Social Security, unity, unity,' expressing their discontent over their economic situation and the lack of attention to their professional demands. They also chanted: 'No threats, no prison, no execution, there is no leader for us' and 'Liar Raisi, where are the results of your promises?' The continuation of economic protests in Iran comes as the Supreme Labor Council held a meeting on Monday 'with all members present' but ended without any specific results and without 'discussing wage reforms.' Additionally, the Iranian Retirees Council issued a statement on Tuesday emphasizing that 'the imposition of a humiliating wage increase for 2024 will not go unanswered,' stating: 'Creating a tense atmosphere will not divert us from our demands.' The statement noted that 'the government, with the help of the Supreme Labor Council, holds meetings of the wage committee with reluctance and indifference.' The Iranian Retirees Council referred to the 'claim' of a 35% increase in the minimum wage as a result of 'a government decree that disregards its own laws' and emphasized that 'this is not just a number, but a war against the life and existence of a community.' According to this statement, 'imposing such wage conditions on workers and also on retired workers who are affected by the decisions of the Supreme Labor Council is aimed at further pushing back society and lowering the standard of living and infringing on their interests.' On the other hand, the Telegram channel for civil market protests reported a nationwide hunger strike at Amir Kabir University in Tehran. According to this report, the hunger strike was 'in protest against the low quality of food and professional issues.' The report also mentioned that 'more than 50 plainclothes security forces from the Tehran Municipal Urban Discipline Patrol were present to suppress the hunger strike at Amir Kabir University.' In recent days, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran claimed that indicators show 'economic growth,' but an analyst in an interview with Voice of America accused Ebrahim Raisi's government of 'sophistry in data analysis,' preventing the publication of statistics, and resorting to 'promoting pseudoscience.'