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The Rise in the Number of Injuries of Thursday’s Suppression of Gold Miners’ Families in North West Iran

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NCRI – The number of injuries of protesting workers’ families have risen to 13 persons at a gold mine in North West Iran.

They were beaten up by Iranian regime’s security forces. According to obtained reports, some of them have sought medical treatments in nearby cities, and some have privately gotten treatments in their homes due to fear of arrest by the security forces.

It is worth noting, that a number of residents of the city of Takab in Urmia province (North West of Iran), who were seeking employment in the Aqdareh gold mine had a peaceful gathering, due to not placing local people to work in front of the mine on Thursday June 15, 2017. This demonstration was met with brutal beating by the security police force.

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Aqdarreh gold mine is the second largest gold mine of Iran’s geopolitics, located 30 km from the Takab city. Aqdareh Pooyazarkan mining company is first active mining company of gold in Iran. The company began its activities in 1997, the company’s headquarters is located in the city of Karaj, and annual production capacity of this gold mine is 2.2 tons of pure gold.

Since the inception of this mine operation in this area, has caused significant damage to natural ecosystem, environment and ecology. Local residents around this mine has lost their livelihood of farming lands and animal husbandry. Due to consumption of lots of chemicals to extract gold, excess cyanid discharge has caused animals to die and has polluted the orchard trees and farming products, therefore, no one is purchasing local farming products because of severe contamination. Also, a pond has been erected around the mine to wash mine’s outtake and net gold purification of ore, that pollutes region’s ecology. Also has made natural waters of this area very unhealthy. Drinking water of locals has been contaminated as well.

According to villagers, deaths and diseases such as cancer patients and pulmonary infections are up sharply among the villagers of nearby villages of Takab city.

It is worth noting, that some 250 workers of Aqdareh gold mine held a protest rally for their termination from work in February, 2014, which one of the workers committed suicide. Regime’s judiciary, according to mine owner’s complaints sentenced 17 workers on charges of sedition against mine, punished them with imprisonment, pay fines and receive lashes.