Iran judiciary denies protester torture claims

Iran judiciary denies protester torture claims
Iran's general prosecutor on Monday denied claims by a labour protest leader that he was tortured in prison following strikes at a sugar factory, state TV reported.

3 min read
14 January, 2019
Tough new US sanctions against have hit Iran's economy [Anadolu]
Iran denied claims by a labour protest leader that he was tortured in prison following strikes at a sugar factory, state TV reported on Monday.

"News of a Haft Tapeh sugar factory worker being tortured is an outright lie and no harm or torture has happened," General Prosecutor Mohammad Jafar Montazeri was quoted as saying.

"The individual who claims he has been tortured did this with a political purpose and a certain agenda," he added

The denial followed claims by Esmail Bakhshi, published on his Instagram account earlier this month and later picked up by the reformist Etemad newspaper, that he was tortured during 25 days in detention in southwestern Khuzestan province late last year.

Bakhshi was one of the organisers of weeks-long protests at the Haft Tapeh sugar factory in the city of Shush over unpaid wages and alleged criminal activity by new private owners.

The prosecutor hinted that Bakhshi had "connections" to opposition groups and said that a judiciary committee tasked with investigating his claims had provided a "comprehensive" report refuting them.

A separate parliamentary investigation into Bakhshi's claims has yet to reveal its official findings.

Montazeri added that state bodies had pressed charges against Bakhshi for allegedly slandering Iran's intelligence, security and judicial authorities.

The strike at Haft Tapeh, which has around 4,000 workers, largely ended in December after the workers received their wages.

Iran saw multiple strikes and protests last year over working conditions in key sectors including steel, education, mining and transport. 

In November, the head of Iran's judiciary warned restive workers against creating "disorder".

"Workers should not allow their demands to become an excuse and an instrument for the enemy," Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani said, quoted by the judiciary's news agency Mizan Online.

Workers have staged numerous rallies over delayed wages and unpaid pensions since the company's privatisation in February 2016.

Iran has seen multiple strikes and protests over working conditions and unpaid wages in a number of sectors in recent months, including steel, education, mining and transport. 

In November, Iranian teachers went on a nationwide two-day strike to demand better working conditions for their poorly paid profession, one month after their last mass protest.

US National Security Advisor John Bolton vowed at the time to "squeeze" Iran "until the pips squeak", a week after a tough new round of sanctions came into force.

The latest tranche of measures has been touted as the toughest yet, and aim to significantly reduce Iran's vital oil exports and cut off its banks from international finance.

The International Monetary Fund has forecast that the sanctions will cause Iran's economy to contract 1.5 percent this year and 3.6 percent next year.

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