The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights website reported from Geneva on June 15, 2022.
UN Special Rapporteurs expressed their grave concern over the violent crackdown on civil society in Iran, including trade unionists and teachers arrested for protesting against low wages and poor working conditions. They called on authorities to use excessive force through comprehensive investigations and Be audited independently.
The following experts issued this statement:
Mr. Javaid Rehman, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran;
Mr. Clément Nyaletsossi Voule, Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association;
Ms. Irene Khan, Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression;
Ms. Alexandra Xanthaki, Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights;
Ms. Mary Lawlor, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders; Mr. Michael Fakhri, Special Rapporteur on the right to food;
Miriam Estrada-Castillo (Chair-Rapporteur), Mumba Malila (Vice-Chair), Elina Steinerte, Matthew Gillett, Priya Gopalan, Working Group on arbitrary detention.
An excerpt from this statement as follows:
GENEVA (15 June 2022) – UN human rights experts* today expressed serious concerns about a violent crackdown against civil society in Iran, including members of workers’ unions and teachers arrested for protesting against their low salaries and poor working conditions, and urged those responsible for using excessive force to be held to account through comprehensive and independent investigations.
“We are alarmed at the recent escalation of allegedly arbitrary arrests of teachers, labour rights defenders and union leaders, lawyers, human rights defenders and other civil society actors,” the experts said.
In the past year, the Iranian Teachers’ Trade Association has organised several nation-wide protests over working conditions and low wages, as well as to protest the arrest of teachers and restrictions on public education for all. On 1 May 2022, on the occasion of the International Workers’ Day and the Teachers’ Day in Iran, teachers held protests in a number of cities across the country, joined by workers’ unions, including the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company.
Prior to the 1 May protests and until 24 May 2022, over 80 teachers were arrested or summoned by security forces or the judiciary, and the houses of several trade unionists and teachers were raided. None of the teachers were given access to a lawyer. The authorities issued statements claiming that the arrests were due to “infiltration of foreign-affiliated elements into the ranks of teachers and workers” which threatened the order and security of the country.
Protests have spread across various cities and regions in Iran since the start of May following the government’s decision to cut subsidies on food items. At least five protesters have been killed as a result of excessive use of force by security forces. Separately, protests erupted in Khuzestan after a 10-story building collapsed in Abadan on 23 May, leaving over 40 dead and many missing. Protesters criticized the authorities for negligence and corruption in connection with permitting the construction of the building despite expert assessments advising against it.
The experts said. “We are deeply concerned that first response by the authorities is that of security, involving the excessive use of force against protestors, with what appears to be an active policy to shield perpetrators and prevent accountability.
“The crackdown comes in the context of an extremely dire economic situation, which the authorities themselves have acknowledged.”
