Reported by PMOI/MEK
Iran, Nov. 25, 2018 – As the workers of Haft Tapeh sugar mill and Ahvaz steel company continue to protest over their most basic rights, they are earning the respect and support of different communities in Iran and across the world.
On Saturday, a group of political prisoners from the Orumiyeh Central Prison (Zendan-e Markazi) issued a statement, in which they expressed their solidarity with the protesting workers and support for their just demands.
“We heard your shout and we too shout with you: ‘We are workers of Haft Tapeh,’” the prisoners write in their statement. “Your glorious persistence and you strike, which have lasted three weeks, are the testament to your unrivaled courage. Yes, we must take back our rights from the tyrants.”
Expressing their support for the demands of the workers, the prisoners write, “We, political prisoners, hail the workers of Haft Tapeh and Ahvaz Steel, who are demanding the most basic demands that a worker deserves, we declare our solidarity with them and ask all hardworking citizens and workers of Iran to support them in their cause.”
“The workers of Iran have nothing to lose. Those who fear are the corrupt ruling gangs who have seized the lives and livelihoods of the hardworking people of Iran. They are trying to maintain their hold on power and continue to loot the wealth of the people by suppressing the just demands of the workers of Haft Tapeh,” the prisoners further write in their statement.
The political prisoners of Orumiyeh Central Prison condemned the arrest of protesting workers and declared their support for their release. “The arrest of the representatives of the workers is cowardice and a stupid tactic to suppress the demands of the workers. Along with the worker, we demand that all the imprisoned workers be freed and their demands met,” the prisoners declared.
The political prisoners of Orumiyeh are one of many communities that have voiced their support for the workers of Haft Tapeh and Ahvaz. Last week, the political prisoners of Gohardasht Prison in Karaj, also published a letter in which the supported the cause and demands of the workers of Haft Tapeh and Ahvaz Steel.
The citizens of Shush and Ahvaz, where the protests are taking place, have also been very supportive of the protesters, joining them in their demonstrations and supporting them by preparing food for them. Other workers across Iran have also expressed their support for the workers in their own creative ways.
The Iranian regime has tried different tactics to quell the protests and prevent them from expanding. But after months of hollow and unkept promises, the workers of Haft Tapeh and Ahvaz are adamant that they will continue until their protests until their demands are met.
And as the Iranian workers continue their protests, the Iranian people continue to rally to their cause.
