According to a report published by the Organizing Council of Oil Contract Workers’ Protests, Yaser Ahmadinejad, an oil worker and an independent representative of workers at the National Iranian Drilling Company, was released from Yasuj Prison on Saturday, 11 July 2026. He had been sentenced to 42 months in prison and has now been released on bail.
After being pursued for some time by security forces, Yaser was arrested in the city of Likak on 4 February 2026 and transferred to Yasuj Prison.
Over the past several years, Yaser Ahmadinejad has repeatedly confronted the corrupt management of the oil industry and the profiteering contractors who exploit workers. He exposed corruption and collusion between project supervisors and contractors. He also played a leading role in the legal campaign to secure the rights of 30,000 third-party contract workers at the National Iranian Drilling Company, tirelessly pursuing workers’ demands for justice.
Because of these efforts, he was dismissed from his job. Following protests by his fellow workers, he was reinstated a year later, only to be dismissed again because of his continued activism. He subsequently completed legal studies and began practicing as a lawyer.
Yaser has been arrested and imprisoned on several occasions because of his support for workers’ struggles and popular protests. He stood alongside the people during the Woman, Life, Freedom uprising in 2022 and again during the nationwide protests of January 2026.
The continued imprisonment of Yaser Ahmadinejad, a highly respected and popular workers’ representative, sparked widespread protests. The Organizing Council of Oil Contract Workers’ Protests and the Organizing Council of Third-Party Oil Workers issued a joint statement demanding his immediate and unconditional release.
We warmly welcome the release of Yaser Ahmadinejad and congratulate his family, everyone who campaigned for his freedom, his co-workers, and all those who stood in solidarity with him.
FREE THEM NOW (FTN)
12 July 2026