Struggles in Iran Bulletin – 23/4/2009

Below is a collection of some of the struggles that are going on within Iran at this time. As the situation is constantly changing we hope to keep as many people up to date with bulletins when we can get them out. There are many practical things you can do as an individual or as an organisation to help those in struggle in Iran. Firstly, get this information out as widely as possible, secondly, get your union or organisation to put out messages of solidarity, thirdly, donate to Workers Fun Iran (http://www.workersfund.org/) and finally, message the Iranian consulate or relevant bodies about arrests, torture and redundancies. Below are the details of the Iranian consulate:

Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran
16 Prince’s Gate London SW7 1PT
Tel: 0207 225 3000

We will also be organising solidarity actions over the coming months and would welcome support and help from supporters and friends.

Hands Off the People of Iran

www.hopoi.org

Office@hopoi.info -hopimanchester@googlemail.com

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1. Louleh Sazi Ahvaz

Monday 13th April around 2000 workers from Louleh Sazi Ahvaz (pipe making factory) demonstrated in this southern city, demanding a halt to the closure of this factory. Workers were calling for support in their struggle to regain their jobs. Workers have said that it is their absolute right to earn a living . You can see a video of the workers demanding jobs not charity here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=US&feature=channel_page&v=m99rDAsTiUA

2. Sugar Cane workers under attack

Ali Nejati, representative of striking Sugar Cane workers was released on bail last week after spending 40days in prison. However the Revolutionary court in Dezful issued prison sentences for 5 other labour activists accused of organising strike in this plant. They are Jalil Ahmadi, Ferydoun Nikoufar, Ghorban Alipour, Ali Nejati and Mohamd Heydari.

3. Defend the Iranian Students’ movement

Authorities in Iran are still attempting to crush the student movement that has been organising against the theocratic state, and against imperialist warmongering and sanctions. A leading member of the Students for Freedom and Equality group, the DAB (Daneshjouyan-e Azadi Khah va Beraber Talab), Peyman Piran, is facing deportation from Norway. Members of DAB have said that Peyman’s life would be in danger if he is returned to Iran after being subjected to ill-treatment and imprisoned for anti-regime activities going back to 1999. You can help Peyman by contacting the Norwegian consulate and the Refugee Council of Norway to demand that he is permitted to stay in Norway (details below).

Sanaz Allahyari and Amir Hossein Mohammadi, who were arrested on March 1, have been released with significant injuries after 18 days in prison. They were arrested for taking part in demonstrations held on February 23 at Noushirvan University in Babo. Protests had been banned after the burial of soldiers killed during the Iraq-Iran war as the authorities deem it disrespectful to the ‘martyrs’. Comrades Maryam Sheikh and Nasim Roshana’i remain in the notorious Evin prison. Their well-being is unknown, but it is standard practice to ill-treat and abuse dissidents in Iran.

DAB members are also extremely worried about Mohammad Pour Abdollah, a Tehran University student who was arrested on February 12 and spent over a month in solitary confinement at Evin prison before being moved to Qezel Hesar, just outside of Tehran. His parents have only seen him once after sitting in front of the prison during Iran’s Norouz (new year). During the visit they learned that their son was being tortured.

Students for Freedom and Equality spokesperson Alireza Davoudi was also arrested in Isfahan on February 12 and is still in prison.

Hands Off the People of Iran has previously organised actions and meetings in solidarity with students in Iran – the videos of a protest in Manchester, for example, can be found on the Hopi website (www.hopoi.org).

With the continuing wave of repression, we are planning further actions and call on all internationalists to stand with the students of Iran – against imperialism and against the theocratic regime.

We demand the immediate and unconditional release of these comrades and all political prisoners held by the Islamic Republic and call on all internationalists to act in solidarity with these students. For us this is inseparable from opposing all imperialist sanctions, threats and attacks on Iran, which the regime uses to justify its continued repression.

Royal Norwegian Embassy: 25 Belgrave Square, London SW1X 8QD; 020 7591 5500; emb.london@mfa.no
Norwegian Refugee Council: PO Box 6758, St Olavs plass, 0130 Oslo; +(47) 23 10 98 00; nrc@nrc.no

Confrontations on campus

1. Confrontation between security forces and students at Teachers’ Training college Tehran Monday 20th of April.

Students were protesting at continued detention of Shabnam Madazadeh and her brother, students at this college when security forces entered the university. When challenged why they were on this campus, the guards used pepper gas on the students and one soldier took out his weapon and shot in the air.

In the confrontation that followed this incident one student was injured and taken to hospital.

2. Sit in by 2000 students at Tabriz Azad University April 12 2009, following the death of 3 students killed in an accident when they were in a University mini bus. 2000 students in Tabriz Azad university refused to attend class and took part in a sit in to protest at university authorities’ negligence that cost the lives of 3 fellow students.

Hands Off the People of Iran – Manchester held a demonstration on 25/3/2009 at the University of Manchester in solidarity with students in Iran who have been imprisoned for fighting against imperialism and the theocratic regime. The video can be found here: http://communiststudents.org.uk/2009/04/free-our-comrades/

4. Deaths and job losses

12 workers in a mine, Bab nizou near Kerman, lost their lives and dozens more were injured during an explosion on Sunday April 19.

400 industrial units were closed last Iranian year, resulting in 200,000 job losses from these closures alone. (Mahjoub- IRI MP)

5. Iran Aluminium in Sanandaj sacks a group of workers

The following is a brief report on the worrying situation and the wholesale sacking of a group of workers from the Iran Aluminium factory in Sanandaj.

This factory, in the Sanandaj industrial estate, is located farther up than the Shir factory and produces various types of radiators for central heating. It is the only automated aluminium foundry in the area.

On 5 April, 11 workers were sacked from the casting section. This led to a wave of protests from other sections. During the past two years around 100 workers have been sacked from the factory. Many of them had three to eight years experience of working at the foundry and had had to work 12 hours a day under inhuman conditions.

The names of the sacked workers are:
Mohammad Nargesi, Shahram Baghaii, Mahmoud Salimi, Khaled Ahmadi, Mahmoud Shariati, Abed Hossein-Panahi, Nader Mofakheri, Assad Neyri, Foad Khosravi, Kourosh Vakili and Jamshid Mozafari.