The Iranian authorities have intensified their crackdown against labor rights activists, summoning, detaining, and imprisoning peaceful activists in recent weeks throughout the country.
Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company
Iran’s Union of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company (UWTSBC) said in a statement on Tuesday that several of its members and activists had been summoned and threatened by the Ministry of Intelligence.
The workers’ union said that Ministry of Intelligence agents searched the house of labor activist Roham Yeganeh and confiscated his mobile phones, hard drives, books, and other personal belongings. The agents told him that he would be summoned and interrogated next month.
The union strongly condemned the summons and threats made against the labor activists and the entry of agents into their homes. The UWTSBC said the authorities have taken these measures to prevent workers from exercising their obvious right to celebrate International Workers’ Day.
On the eve of International Workers’ Day, security forces also arrested seven labor and social activists in Baneh, namely Saeed Mohammadi, Hassan Ezzati, Nishtman Rahmati, Parvin Abdollahpour, Rahman Soleimani, Afshin Rahimi, and Fateh Majidi.
Security agents reportedly raided their homes and detained them without a warrant.
According to the latest reports, Nishtman Rahmati was released on Tuesday, but other activists have been transferred to the Sanandaj Intelligence Detention Center.
Iran’s Labor Code does not grant citizens the right to form independent unions, despite Iran’s ratification of the UN’s International Convention on Civil and Political Rights and membership in the International Labor Organization.
Workers are regularly threatened, arrested, and even sentenced to flogging, despite their legitimate demands. Workers’ demonstrations are violently repressed, with workers and union leaders detained and imprisoned for exercising their right to strike.
Last year, at least 30 labor activists were arrested during Labor Day rallies in Tehran. The rallies came amid security forces, particularly the Ministry of Intelligence, barring labor and union activists from holding and participating in any gatherings.
