Security Forces Attack Gathering of Workers from Tehran Bus Company

Reports from Tehran indicate that a gathering of nearly 200 workers from the Tehran Bus Company, which was supposed to take place on Sunday morning in front of the Tehran Municipality, was met with an attack by security and police forces. According to the news site Meydan, this is the second time in recent months that workers from this company have protested due to unresolved housing issues. In 2013, a resolution was issued by the Housing Council of the Municipality regarding how workers of the Tehran Bus Company could benefit from non-repayable housing facilities, with the municipality allocating 75 billion tomans for this purpose. However, the workers still cannot access these facilities. Meydan reported that the resolution regarding their housing cooperative has not been implemented, and despite registering for the housing cooperative project since 2009, they have only seen 40% physical progress. Telegram pages of the Tehran Bus Workers' Syndicate and the Free Workers' Union of Iran reported that following the gathering, several workers were beaten by police and security forces. The participating workers chanted slogans criticizing the mayor of Tehran and demanded attention to their housing situation. The reports named several workers from the Tehran Bus Company who were injured or arrested, including Vahid Faridouni, Hassan Saeidi, Rasoul Taleb Moghadam, Ata Baba Khani, Mohammad Sami, Majid Shakrian, Ali Reza Tosehli, Amir Takiri, Mohammad Ali Aslahi, Amir Abbas Hosseini, Naser Moharramzadeh, and Iraj Fadaei. According to these two labor organizations, the detainees were transferred to the security police station at Arg Square. A labor activist in Tehran also told Radio Farda that at least 17 workers were arrested during this gathering. He added that the detainees were told they were rioters and posed a threat to national security, but they rejected these accusations. According to the report, the detainees were released after a few hours without any charges being filed. Meanwhile, the Free Workers' Union of Iran stated that due to injuries sustained by three of the detainees named Hassan Saeidi, Iraj Fadaei, and Naser Moharramzadeh, the security police at Arg Square refused to take them, and these three members of the Tehran Bus Workers' Syndicate were transferred to the hospital. The Telegram page of the Tehran Bus Workers' Syndicate reported that Mr. Moharramzadeh lost consciousness due to being struck on the head with a baton before his arrest. This syndicate announced that the three workers joined their colleagues after being treated at Sina Hospital in Tehran. Previously, reports have been published regarding security and judicial actions against labor activists and workers participating in labor gatherings, although Iranian officials typically remain silent in response to these reports and news.