HEPCO workers in Arak province who protested non payment of 8 months of their wages have received five years suspended sentence of between 6 and 12 months prison, and 74 lashes.
In May 2018 the Workers of Hepco company had held protests and assemblies after the general director of the factory and relevant state offices failed to fulfill their promises to pay their 8 months delayed wages. In the protest and assembly that included families of the workers in Arak city, they chanted slogans against the “empty promises”, and in objection to “insecurity”, and escalated their protest by blocking railways.
The HEPCO workers who have received five years suspended sentence of between 6 and 12 months prison, and 74 lashes have been named as: Majid Latifi, Behrooz Hasanvand, Hamidreza Ahmadi, Amirhooshang Pour Farzanegan, Morteza Azizi, Hadi Fazeli, Abolfazl Karimi, Farid Kovdani, Majid Yahyaie, Amir Fatahpour, Yaser Gholi, Amir Farid Afshar, Mehdi Abedi, Ali Maleki, and Behrooz Valashajardi.
The sentence has been passed by Branch 106 of the Criminal Court of Arak, headed by judge Akbar Rezvani. The workers have been accused of “Action against the regime, Leading illegal gatherings of workers to propaganda against the regime, Agitating workers of HEPCO corporation to disrupt public order and propaganda against the regime, disrupting public order by publication, distribution and displaying banners of propaganda against the regime, agitating workers to participate in illegal gatherings and protests that resulted in propaganda against the regime, disrupting public order that resulted in propaganda against the regime”. The court of “injustice and inhumanity” of judiciary of Islamic Republic of Iran couldn’t make it any clearer that workers in Iran do not have any right to exercise the most basic right of workers, which is to ask for their wages, and to practice their right, the right to hold assembly, organise, and to protest.
The government in fear of the social consequences of implementing such dirty sentences has suspended the execution of the court verdicts for 5 years.
But the issuance of such brutal sentences is a clear atrocity against the workers and the entire population and should not be missed.
Free Them Now call on all international workers organisations to demand immediate expulsion of Islamic Republic of Iran from ILO. The regime that treats workers in such way and has no regards whatsoever for the most basic rights that workers of the world are entitles to has no place in ILO.
Free Them Now (Campaign to Free Jailed Workers in Iran)
October 29, 2018