Brussels- 19 Dec 2018
Workers of Iran’s Ahvaz Steel National Industrial Group have been on strike for 40 days. We were informed that dozens of workers were arrested by Iranian regime’s security forces on Sunday night, 16 December 2018.
Many workers have been protesting every day and chanting slogans such as “We stand, we die, we do not accept humiliation; neither threat, nor prison, they are no longer useful; student, worker, unity; imprisoned worker must be freed; imprisoned student must be freed; neither ruler nor the state, can overcome the worker; neither ruler, nor the state, think about the nation; inflation, high prices, respond Rouhani; our country is a thief house; it’s unique in the world; liar Rouhani…
Despite the arrests, the protests in Ahvaz have continued. Workers are calling for the release of their detained colleagues, the striking workers’ job security, and the cutting off the hands of the government’s mafia in these industries.
We call on the European Parliament’s President, Antonio Tajani and the EU High Representative Federica Mogherini to condemn these arrests and to urge the Iranian regime to release the detained workers immediately.
Tunne Kelam, MEP, Estonia, Vice-President of Friends of a Free Iran
Eduard Kukan, MEP, Slovakia, former Foreign Minister
Mark Demesmaeker MEP, Belgium
Julie Ward, MEP, UK Labour Party
Heinz Becker, MEP, Austria
Jozo Radoš MEP, Croatia, former Defence Minister
Friends of a Free Iran (FoFI) is an informal group in the European Parliament which was formed in 2003 and enjoys the active support of many MEPs from various political groups