Introduction
In Iran the protests of workers, retirees, teachers and various sections of society are widespread. The impact of the ‘Woman Life, Freedom’ revolution has completely changed society. The Islamic regime is trying to push people back by intensifying the use of repression and executions.
The statement published below of ten Labour and social organisations is a response to this repression and these executions. Together with all workers and other individuals, Free Them Now, (FTN) struggles against governmental repression and executions and reflects the voices of protesting Iranians around the world in support of the citizens inside Iran against the murderous Islamic regime.
Free Them Now!
3 January 2024
Statement of workers and social organizations against executions and repression by the government
02-01-2024
Following the powerful protests of us the workers, teachers, pensioners, women, seekers of justice and all oppressed individuals who hold that the right to life, dignity and work are inalienable, exemplified by the slogan ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ we assert that the government wants to push us back by intensifying its repression. The use of the death penalty is a murderous, intimidating tool used to enforce this policy. In addition, the use of false confessions, obtained under torture, the issuing of prison sentences, of enforced exile and the sacking and dismissal from employment are additional abuses of repressive government policies.
Let us join together in a nationwide barrier against such repression
Last year on December 8th, Mohsen Shekari became the first victim to suffer execution In connection with the ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ revolution, followed by the execution of seven more protesters: Majid Reza Rahnavard, Mohammad Mehdi Karami, Mohammad Hosseini, Majid Kazemi, Saleh Mirhashmi, Saeed Yaqoubi and Milad Zoheh-vand.
In addition, the heinous, inhumane death penalty was also carried out last year against certain dissenters and political prisoners who were forced to confess falsely under torture and accused of ‘corruption on earth’.
In total, according to the statistics obtained, at least 640 people were executed in 2023. Right now, there is the threat of executing Mujahid Korkur, Reza Rasaei, detainees of the ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ movement as well as hmadreza Jalali and Jamshid Sharmahed (prisoners with dual citizenship). In addition to at least eight further executions, there are new reports of impending executions every day. The use of the gallows is a murderous, intimidating and barbaric weapon against Iranians which must be stopped by a united, nationwide stand against such criminal policy by the government.
We, the signatories of this statement, together with the families of the executed and the victims of the ‘Woman Life Freedom’ movement demand an end to all executions.
In addition to executions, the government uses other repressive measures and every protest is answered with threats, imprisonment or deportation. Among other things, the use of security cases, summonses and sentencing is moving at a fast pace and last year alone many workers, teachers, retirees, women and political activists received prison sentences, deportation and exile for taking part in protests. However, social unity and solidarity continue unabated.
The Ahvaz National Steel Industrial Group is an example of such praiseworthy solidarity – succeeding in returning 38 suspended colleagues and unlocking their company entry cards to the workplace, while also forcing the government and its supporters to recognize some of the workers’ demands, like job classification; further demands are still being fought for. These workers have shown how to deal with governmental repression and should receive widespread public support.
Also the scenes of courage and solidarity shown by the female prisoners in Evin prison against the courts and prison security forces will go down in history as exemplary.
Currently a number of teachers, students, artists, workers, women, some families of plaintiffs, as well as a number of others have been arrested and imprisoned during the course of popular revolutionary movement.
We, the signatories of this statement stress our demand for the immediate and unconditional release of all these detainees and political prisoners.
For all of us who are fed up with poverty, discrimination, embezzlement and looting; who are deprived of basic human rights and have lost loved ones during the struggle to recover those rights, there is no other way but to move forward. Therefore we loudly proclaim like the Isfahan steel workers “Beatings and guards do not affect us”. Or like the Ahvaz steel industrial group who stood up against the suspension and dismissal of colleagues to shout “Neither threats nor imprisonment are any longer effective”; and finally like the brave women who faced their jailers with the slogan ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ to emphasize the continuation of struggle, we too stand up and will not stop fighting.
#Woman, Life, Freedom
#We stand shoulder to shoulder always
Signatories:
1-Union of retirees
2– Kermanshah Electrical and Metal Society
3-Alborz Painters Syndicate
4-Iran Retired Council
5- Council for organizing protests of informal oil workers (third organs)
6-Council for organizing protests of oil contract workers
7-Coordinating Council of Nurses’ Protests
8- Independent Retired Group of Tehran
9-The call of Iranian women (Nedaye Zanan e Iran)
10- The justice seekers institution (Dadkhahan)
(Translated to English by Free Them Now)