15th June 2022 - UN experts, including Mr. Javaid Rehman, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, have expressed concerns over the crackdown on civil society following months of protests in Iran. While people have been protesting low wages and poor working condition, the regime has ramped up arrests.
“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.
The report takes note of several protests by teachers unions across Iran, in particular the gatherings on International Workers Day on 1st may 2022. The experts say, "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."
Peaceful protests are the people's only means through which people can express their concerns and yet they are met with excessive force by police and security forces. A recent example is the nationwide protests which began as a result of the collapsing of the Metropole Building in the city of Abadan, resulting in dozens of deaths. The authorities tried to break up protests and even prevent aid workers from entering the scene. You can read the full report here.
