Last night the Islamic regime’s security forces raided the homes of some of steel workers’ activists between midnight and 3 A.M., attacked workers and their families and arrested 13 workers. During this brutal cowardice operation the security forces broke household items, personal possessions and confiscated mobiles and computers. So far the names of 13 workers who were arrested are confirmed:
1.Eisa Marei; 2. Qarib Hoizavi; 3. Morteza Akbariyan; 4. Amin Alavani; 5. Karim Sayahi; 6. Mostafa Abeiyat; 7. Tareq Khalafi; 8. Meisam Ali Qanavati; 9. Masoud Afri; 10. Jafar Sobhaei; 11. Hamed Jorki; 12. Hafez Kanani; 13. Hamed Baseri.
Also this morning 18 more workers from National Steel Group were arrested in their rally in Ahvaz. Those arrested this morning are: 1. Hossein Davoudi; 2. Kazem Heidari; 3. Mohsen Behbahani; 4. Ehsan Yousefi; 5. Mohsen Balouti; 6. Yaser Ebrahmeiyan; 7. Kourosh Esmaeili; 8. Ali Aqaba; 9. Madjid Jondale; 10. Mohammad Pour-Hasan; 11. Seyyed Habib Tabatabaei; 12. Jasem Romzi; 13. Ali Etmami; 14. Seyyed Ali Javad-Pour; 15. Javad Qolami; 16. Abdol-Reza Dasti; 17. Seyyed Ahmad Seyyed Noor; 18; Fariborz Sheikh Robat.
Steel workers have been protesting every day in the city of Ahvaz for the past 3 weeks. Early this morning the security forces were present at the steel plant and threatened workers against organising any protests. Moreover, anti-riot police, Special Forces and the police were deployed at strategic locations in the city to stop workers rallying and protesting. Ahvaz today was under undeclared martial law. The total state apparatus is standing against the poverty-ridden workers on behalf of the capitalist class. Despite all these efforts by the state, steel workers arrived in the city and protested in Naderi Street. Workers were shouting: “We support jailed workers!”
Hekmatist Party along with the steel workers and the Iranian working class condemns this cowardice attack on workers’ leaders and the brutality against the workers and their families. The government has ree recently used similar just reis trying recently used similar tactics against the Haft Tape sugarcane workers, framing workers and charging them with national security threat. However, Steel workers have been struggling against the regime for some time and this is not the first time they have been arrested and jailed.
We call upon all workers, and people of Ahvaz to categorically support the jailed workers. We will protest in Iran and abroad to free all our jailed comrades. We call upon all international workers’ organisations to condemn the brutal actions of the Islamic Republic.
All jailed workers must be freed!
Down with the Islamic Republic!
Freedom, Equality and Worker’s state!
Long Live Socialist Republic!
Worker-communist Party- Hekmatist
17 December 2018
