Iran Events

Iran: Teachers’ Campaign of “No to Pay Slips and Salary Policies”

According to several online reports, Iran’s teachers have begun a new movement called “no to pay slips and salary policies”.

The head of the Teacher’s Union of Iran, Jafar Ebrahimi, says that this movement first began with a protest on 11th July and is expected to continue for 10 days.

He added that the purpose of this movement is to say that “It is unfair for teachers to receive less than 2 million Toman, when even the poverty line is higher than 4 million Toman”.

As reported by a local news website, Khabar Online, Ebrahimi has stated that due to the policies adopted by the Management and Planning Organisation (MPO), teachers are now deprived of an “appropriate salary budget, and as a result, the quality of education has also been lowered for students”.

Iran: Credit Institutions and “the Regime’s Fear of Danger”

With the support of the police force, revolutionary guards, and the judiciary, “Qardhul Hasan” (i.e., interest free) loans and the credit institutes behind them have now transferred into financial oligarchies.

In one of the reports of a credit institute named “Samen-ol-Hojaj”, the name of two TV presenters, a former minister, and a retired police officer, can be found amongst the list of corrupt figures. Even though only their initials have been disclosed in the local news, their full names can be easily found across many social platforms.

Amongst those names are “H.S” for commander-in-chief “Hamid Sadarossadat” (the former head of Iran’s Law Enforcement Force, commonly known as NAJA; who retired in 2016), “M.M” and “E.A” which stand for “Mehran Modiri” and “Ehsan Alikhani” respectively (both of whom are media presenters), and “M.T” for “Manouchehr Mottaki” (former foreign minister of Ahmadi Nejad’s government).

Mottaki has reportedly received a $124-billion-Toman loan from Samen-ol-Hajaj. Sadarossadat on the other hand, has reportedly received even an even bigger amount, as he had involved his family members too; for instance, $100 billion Toman is under his son’s name as an “advance payment of 30 years income”, and $1.18 billion Toman for his wife.

Detained Teachers’ Rights Activist Denied Months of Salary Due to “Fault of Others”

Detained teachers’ rights activist Mohammad Habibi is being denied his monthly state salary despite not being convicted of any crime, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) has been informed.

Habibi, a 29-year-old member of the Iranian Teachers’ Trade Association (ITTA), has not been paid his wages since his arrest on May 17, 2018, according to a colleague who spoke to CHRI on July 18, 2018.

“If he has not shown up for work, it’s the fault of others who forced this situation,” added the source. “If it’s because of his court case, he hasn’t been convicted and he could be acquitted.”

Habibi is due to go trial on July 23 at Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran for the charges of “assembly and collusion against national security,” “propaganda against the state” and “disturbing public order”—all brought by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Iranian Judiciary Closes Acid Attack Cases With No Convictions But Promises Victims Compensation

Nearly four years after a series of acid attacks on women in the Iranian city of Isfahan, the judiciary has closed the cases without any convictions while pledging to compensate the victims.

“This was a public crime that does not go away with the passage of time and therefore it makes no sense to close the case,” Iranian Canadian attorney Hossein Raeesi told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) on July 19.

“If the private plaintiffs have agreed to stop pursuing the case, that’s fine but if it means that the authorities are going to stop looking for the perpetrators, that would be unlawful and unreasonable,” said Raeesi.

“The court and the police should keep the case open and the judiciary and security agencies should seriously pursue it,” he added.

During the autumn of 2014, as many as 10 women were badly disfigured in Iran by men who threw acid at them. According to eyewitnesses, the victims were attacked for wearing what the men considered improper hijabs.

The attacks took place as Iran’s Parliament was debating the Plan to Promote Virtue and Prevent Vice, which became law in June 2015. It allows citizens to “verbally” confront people accused of committing vices.

Labor Reps in Iran Protest Disappearing Benefits as Hard Hit Workers Struggle Under Ailing Economy

A group of labor representatives from around Iran gathered during the country’s 2018 national Social Security Day, July 16, in front of the Health Ministry in Tehran to protest what they describe as the erosion of workers’ health and other benefits.

Speaking amidst a heavy police presence, the protesters said the ministry’s misuse of social security funds has driven the system to the verge of “bankruptcy” according to the state-run Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA).

“The health minister is one of the main people responsible for obliterating workers’ health benefits,” Hossein Habibi, chairman of the Islamic Labor Councils Coordination Committee in Tehran Province, told ILNA at the gathering. “He has removed between 70 and 120 drugs from the insurance coverage that our vulnerable workers need.”