Reported by PMOI/MEK
Iran, November 21, 2018 – As the workers of Haft Tapeh sugar cane mill in Shush and Ahvaz Steel company respectively entered the 17th and 12th day of their strikes and protests, they are garnering increasing support from different communities inside Iran. In an open letter, the political prisoners of Gohardasht prison declared their support for and solidarity with the workers who have stood up for their most basic rights.
“The glorious resistance and persistence of the hardworking workers of Haft Tapeh sugar mill and Ahvaz steel factory is the echo of enraged shouts of the workers and oppressed people who are fed up from the plundering and tyranny of a regime that is engulfed in corruption and thievery,” the letter of the political prisoners reads.
Both the workers of Haft Tapeh and Ahvaz Steel are protesting to months-long unpaid wages and poor working conditions. Haft Tapeh is the largest sugar cane company of Iran and one of the largest in the Middle East. It accounts for thousands of jobs and the main source of income of thousands of families. Yet due to the destructive policies of the Iranian regime, the factory is on the verge of bankruptcy. The workers blame local and national government officials for the current situation. In other parts of the country, similar protests and strikes are ongoing.
“The people [of Iran] who have been witness to the plundering of their possessions and labor on a daily basis, and whose wealth and assets are being spent on warmongering and suppressing their protests are now fully aware of who the real enemy is,” the letter of political prisoners continue.
As protests that started in December continue to rage across different parts of Iran, the Iranian regime has tried to lay the blame of the country’s economic woes on foreign states. But the protesters, who have seen the regime spend billions of dollars’ worth of Iran’s wealth, all paid out of the people’s pockets, to fuel wars and sectarian violence in Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Lebanon, know pretty well who is the real culprit for Iran’s bankrupt economy. In their protests, the Iranian people have criticized the regime for its costly foreign intervention and have clearly called the regime with all its factions the true enemy of the people.
November 21
Ahvaz, southwest #Iran
National Steel Group employees demanding their delayed paychecks & the release of their jailed colleagues.Chants:
"Neither prison, nor threats, none are no longer effective"
"I won't leave until my rights are fulfilled"#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/HCkFYrXJ6M— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) November 21, 2018
The political prisoners finish their letter by reiterating their support for the workers of Ahvaz and Shush. “While stressing our support for the noble workers of Haft Tapeh and Ahvaz Steel, we the political prisoners of Gohardasht hail their commitment and call on all other suppressed communities to unite with them,” the prisoners write. “We believe that the only solution against the tyranny is uprisings and protests. The national unity of all walks of life and suppressed communities will eventually defeat the tyrants.”
