Labor Protests Increase
Hundreds of Alborz Tire Factory workers in Tehran assembled a protest over their unpaid wages. In an interview with Radio Farda, one of the protesters says they have not been paid for two months.
He adds that the protestors set worn-out tires on fire during their rally in the factory.
“No matter how workers shouted in protest, it was of no use—so they set worn-out tires on fire in order to inform the authorities of their demands...They’ve promised to pay us; only promised,” the worker says.
In the past two years, the workers of Alborz Tire Factory have recurrently staged protests and strikes, demanding payment of their wages earned.
[read in Farsi]
Mass Trials Continue in Iran
Sixteen people arrested during the protests on the holy day of Ashura were put on trial on January 30, five of whom were accused of “enmity with God,” reported Iran’s state media. Under the Iranian law, “enmity with God” is a crime punishable by death.
Tehran-based lawyer Abdolfattah Soltani tells Radio Farda that none of the people who participated in the demonstrations can be accused of such a heavy crime.
Soltani adds that the arrested are not allowed to contact their families in order choose their own lawyer, and after being illegally interrogated, they are taken to the court where their indictments are issued: “The families of the arrested come to know of their children being put on trial through watching TV... This is violation of a defendant’s basic rights.”
[read in Farsi]