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Two Labor Organizations Condemn 'Brutal Punishment' of Whipping for 17 Workers of National Steel Group

Apr 11, 2026 April 11, 2026 2 min read 📰 VOA Persian
📋 Key Takeaway

Two labor organizations condemned the sentencing of 17 workers from the National Industrial Steel Group to whipping and fines for protesting their working conditions. The Islamic Revolutionary Court's ruling has sparked outrage and calls for solidarity among labor groups, highlighting ongoing issues of labor rights in Iran. This incident underscores the government's harsh measures against labor activism.

🔍 Quick Context Guide
💡 Bottom Line: The government's punitive measures against labor protests reflect its intolerance for dissent.

👥 Key Players

Council for Organizing Oil Contract Workers' Protests (شورای سازماندهی اعتراضات کارگران پیمانی نفت) ACTOR
Labor organization
"'the peak of barbarism and humiliation and insult against workers'"
Council for Organizing Informal Workers (شورای سازماندهی کارگران غیررسمی) ACTOR
Labor organization
"'the peak of barbarism and humiliation and insult against workers'"
Free Workers Union (اتحادیه آزاد کارگران) QUOTED
Labor organization
"'the most despicable and inhumane tools' used by the government"
Mehdi Valipour (مهدی ولی‌پور) AFFECTED
Protesting worker
"One of the 17 workers sentenced"
Ali Khamenei (علی خامنه‌ای) ACCUSED
Supreme Leader of Iran
"Implied responsibility for government actions"
Ebrahim Raisi (ابراهیم رئیسی) ACCUSED
President of Iran
"Implied responsibility for government actions"

⚡ Actions

Council for Organizing Oil Contract Workers' Protests and the Council for Organizing Informal Workers PROTEST Iranian government
"'the peak of barbarism and humiliation and insult against workers'"
Confidence: 90%
Islamic Revolutionary Court of Ahvaz SANCTION 17 workers of National Industrial Steel Group
"'74 lashes' as punishment and '2,500,000 tomans in fines'"
Confidence: 90%
Free Workers Union ANNOUNCE Iranian government
"'the most despicable and inhumane tools' used by the government"
Confidence: 80%

📰 What Happened

Two labor organizations condemned the whipping and fines for 17 workers in Iran.

  • Council for Organizing Oil Contract Workers' Protests and the Council for Organizing Informal Workers protest Iranian government
  • Islamic Revolutionary Court of Ahvaz sanction 17 workers of National Industrial Steel Group
  • Free Workers Union announce Iranian government

💡 Why It Matters

🇮🇷 For Iran: Because it highlights the government's harsh treatment of labor activists.
🌍 Regional: Because it may inspire further protests in other industrial sectors.
🌐 International: Because it draws attention to human rights abuses in Iran.

📚 Background

The government's punitive measures against labor protests reflect its intolerance for dissent.

📝 Key Evidence

"'the peak of barbarism and humiliation and insult against workers'"
→ Condemnation of the government's actions against labor activists.
"'74 lashes' as punishment and '2,500,000 tomans in fines'"
→ Details of the punishment imposed on the workers.
📡 Source: STATE MEDIA
📊 Confidence: 80%
VOA Persian is generally considered reliable but may have a bias against the Iranian government.

Two labor organizations issued a joint statement condemning the 'brutal punishment' of whipping and fines for 17 protesting workers of the National Industrial Steel Group in Ahvaz, calling for their immediate cancellation. The Islamic Revolutionary Court of Ahvaz sentenced 17 protesting workers of this large industrial unit to pay '2,500,000 tomans in fines to the government fund instead of three months of imprisonment' and endure '74 lashes' as punishment. The execution of the lash punishment has been 'suspended for three years, so that if no further offenses are committed, the suspended punishment will also be executed.' The Council for Organizing Oil Contract Workers' Protests and the Council for Organizing Informal Workers (Third Elements) described such rulings as 'the peak of barbarism and humiliation and insult against workers' in their statement on Friday, October 29. In part of their statement, they expressed 'disgust and protest' against the ruling issued for the workers of the National Industrial Steel Group, showing solidarity with them and demanding the immediate cancellation of these 'shameful and brutal' sentences. According to ILNA news agency, these 17 workers protested last year against 'the management situation of the company and their legal status, including the failure to implement classification.' The names of these protesting workers have been announced as: Mehdi Valipour, Khaled Sharifi, Ra'id Obeidavi, Tarek Khalafi, Rasoul Harag, Nader Hardani, Ali Naderi, Mehdi Negaravi, Masoud Heydari, Abdolhossein Hamidipour, Mostafa Abiyat, Abdolkarim Sayahi, Kazem Heydari, Ali Elahi Far, Hadi Vaeli Zadeh, Hassan Javid Hamoudi, and Gharib Hovizari. Previously, the Free Workers Union criticized the sentences issued for the protesting workers, describing whipping protesters as 'the most despicable and inhumane tools' used by the government and 'indicative of the rulers' helplessness in power.' The issuance of lash punishment for labor activists and protesting workers has a precedent, including a sentence of 30 to 100 lashes for 17 dismissed workers from the Aghdareh gold mine in West Azerbaijan province in 2016. Journalist Javad Motavalli believes the government's aim in issuing lash sentences is 'to create fear among other labor activists.'

🌐

Translated from the original and edited for English readers. View original source →

Translation confidence: 85%

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