Tehran Governor: No Action Taken Against Gatherings During Rouhani's Government

The Governor of Tehran states that during Hassan Rouhani's presidency, there was "no action" taken against "legal" electoral, political, and protest gatherings. Mohammad Hossein Moqimi, who was a senior official in the Ministry of Interior before taking office as Tehran's governor, made this statement on Friday, November 10, in an interview with the Ilna news agency, calling it "important." According to Mr. Moqimi, during this period, "all those who obtained permits from the Ministry of Interior to hold their gatherings were able to do so successfully, and no action was taken against them." He referred to the holding of "hundreds of speeches across Tehran" during the twelfth presidential election, adding that at that time, "we did not have any problems, and no action was taken against the organizers or participants." He attributed the "problem-free" holding of these gatherings to the "appropriate handling" of security and law enforcement agencies with participants and the "adherence to laws and regulations" by the organizers. In another part of his statements, the Governor of Tehran did not consider the gathering of people in front of the Islamic Consultative Assembly as "security-related" and stated: "We have never faced problems and security challenges from this type of public gathering." He also cited the presence of several ISIS members near this building as a reason for imposing restrictions on some gatherings in front of the Assembly, saying, "We are looking to designate an area [near the Assembly] exclusively for holding such gatherings." The Tehran governor's claim about the lack of action against protest gatherings during Rouhani's first term comes while the anti-riot unit of the police attacked protesting workers at the 'Hepco' and 'Azarab' factories in Arak for at least two consecutive days in late September of this year, injuring them. Some of these workers, who had gathered in protest of several months of delayed salary payments, were injured as a result of the police's attack. One labor activist referred to Article 27 of the Constitution, which states that the formation of gatherings and marches is free, provided they are unarmed and do not disrupt the principles of Islam, and told the Iran Human Rights Campaign that the protest of these workers was entirely professional and "did not disrupt security or Islam." The actions of security forces and police against labor gatherings in recent years, which have increased due to the poor conditions of workers in Iran, have always been criticized by human rights and civil activists. At the same time, several labor activists and other professions, including teachers, such as Reza Shahabi, a bus driver and board member of the Syndicate of Workers of the United Company, have been arrested by security agencies and are currently in prison. Typically, the Ministry of Interior does not allow independent gatherings to hold demonstrations or gatherings, and protests and marches in Iran are mostly held in a governmental manner. In this context, the Central Province Police defended its actions against the Hepco and Azarab workers, stating that the anti-riot police used "tear gas" against the protesting workers in Arak. Protests and gatherings of the people of Baneh in response to the killing of two kolbers, beatings of job seekers in Agh-Dareh Takab, and warnings from the Tehran prosecutor regarding holding any gatherings after the confirmation of qualifications have also been reported.