Iran Arrests Leading Trade Union Activists Ahead Of May Day

Twelve members of the Free Workers Trade Union of Iran were arrested on Friday, April 26, just days ahead of the International Labor Day, the union reported.

According to Human Rights in Iran, The labor activists had reportedly gathered in “Jahan Nama” park in Tehran-Karaj Highway, to plan for celebrating the international Labor Day.

The twelve had assembled in the park, when security forces stormed the place, detaining the the activists and taking them to an unknown location.
Most of the detainees were released later, but at least four others, including Misses. Parvin Mohammadi, Haleh Safarzadeh, and Valeh Zamani, as well as Alireza Saqafi, were transferred to Raja’i Shahr Prison of Karaj, west of Tehran.

Iran’s labor law does not recognize the right to create labor unions independent of government-sanctioned groups such as the Islamic Labor Council. Since 2005, authorities have repeatedly harassed, summoned, arrested, convicted, and sentenced workers affiliated with independent trade unions.

Labor unrest in Iran has intermittently flared up since December 2017 with the Iranian workers staging over 1,865 protests in 2018.
They gathered every single month expressing frustration with economic hardship and corruption.