Protests Continue In Iran's Western Province Amid Internet Blackout

According to social media reports security forces have maintained a heavy presence in several large cities including the capital Tehran, Mashhad, Shiraz, Kermanshah and Ahvaz as well as some smaller towns in western provinces where protests have taken place in the past two weeks.

Tuesday evening protesters took to the streets in Golpayegan, a city of around 50,000 in the central Esfahan Province, for the first time since protests against the government’s decision to remove an import subsidy for staple food and medicine imports began in the southwestern Khuzestan Province two weeks ago.

Meanwhile, the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company (SWTSBC) said in its last post on its Telegram channel Tuesday that a dozen drivers were detained.

Authoritiess have continued using police buses and drivers hastily recruited from the Revolutionary Guards and municipality workers to transport passengers in the capital for free.

Bus drivers on strike have vowed not to surrender until their demands, including payment of overdue wages and a 57 percent raise are approved by the Supreme Labor Council more than two months ago, are met.

The authorities have also apparently banned the media from reporting on the protests and the soaring prices of staple foods including bread, pasta, cooking oil, chicken, eggs, and dairy products that sparked the protests. Newspapers and websites in Tehran did not cover the protests on Wednesday.

Access to the Internet has repeatedly been restricted in areas affected by the protests to prevent the news of protests from spreading and images being uploaded to social media.

Videos posted on social media show protesters in Golpayegan chanting against Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and President Ebrahim Raisi, clerics in power, and the Basij militia of the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC).

“Khamenei Is a Murderer, His Rule Is Illegitimate” and “We Don’t Want IRGC Rule”, protesters in Golpayegan chanted and urged the regular police force, which has a better reputation than the IIRGC, to support them. The Basij militia, under IRGC command, is often deployed to suppress protesters and has been accused of brutalizing protesters.

There were also reports of further protests Tuesday evening in Jouneghan in the western Chahar Mahal and Bakhtiari Province where so far security forces have shot dead at least two protesters. Social media reports said Tuesday the authorities had completely shut down internet access in Jouneghan and security forces were shooting at protesters.

Unrest in Shahr-e Kord, the capital of the same province, continued Tuesday and there are videos showing security forces attacking protesters and arresting them. Social media users have also posted videos showing tanks being transported to Shahr-e Kord from neighboring Esfahan Province on Wednesday but the authenticity of the videos cannot be verified.

On Tuesday security forces clashed with people attending the funeral of Pishali Ghalebi, a citizen killed by security forces during protests on Friday, in a small village near Aligudarz in the western Lorestan Province. Ghalebi was reportedly shot in the head in Dezful, Khuzestan Province,while standing in front of the window inside his house and watching the protests.

The number of protesters arrested by security forces is not clear but so far at least six deaths have been reported by social media users.

Congressman Pete Aguilar said on Tuesday that “Peaceful protesters in any corner of the globe should not be killed, threatened, intimidated, beaten,” adding that the United States has “an obligation, hopefully through diplomatic channels to address” such protests.

The Democrat representative from California added, “The Biden administration needs to work through diplomatic channels to convey what is important. And it's important that people exercise and have the ability to exercise their rights.”

Iowa’s Republican Senator Joni Ernst told Iran International that the authorities in Iran have to “pay attention to the needs of their people... to how are they providing for their people in need”.

Urging the Biden administration “to step up” efforts in support of the protests, she said, “I don't think there has been enough attention paid to the situation.”

Massachusetts’ Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren expressed hope that Iranians can build a government that better reflects the needs of the people, and that they will be a force for greater stability in the region. “Obviously the current government is not headed in that direction,” she said.

“There is a lot of energy from many people in the country who would like to see change,” Warren added.

After US State Department spokesman Ned Price voiced support for protesters in Iran, another spokesman condemned the use of violence to crack down on the protests, which began on May 6 as the government drastically raised food prices, leaving tens of millions of Iranians in danger of facing hunger.

The semi-official Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) reported Tuesday that the police were using around 700 of the buses used for transportation of its own staff to replace the city buses on strike.

Social media users on Monday, when the strike began, also reported that Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) vans were also used to transport passengers in the capital and IRGC drivers on Monday evening were given urgent training to drive the city buses, but so far these have not been used. An informed source told Didehban-e Iran Tuesday that Tehran municipality has called for qualified drivers from among its other staff for help to break the strike.

The use of IRGC drivers could anger dissatisfied workers that have been on strike or protestting in many sectors of the economy, including oil and gas production.

Bus drivers’ strike over unpaid wages and raises created chaos across Tehran Tuesday amid fears of anti-government protests in the capital. Mechanics and other workers of bus terminals have joined the drivers’ strike according to social media reports.

The Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company (SWTSBC) said in an Instagram post Tuesday that the police forced strikers who had gathered at some bus terminals to leave. At least twelve drivers were arrested Tuesday and several others arrested Monday, including Vahid Fereydouni, one of the union’s activists, who is still being held by the police.

The drivers have vowed to continue their strike until their demands, including payment of overdue wages and a 57 percent raise approved by the Supreme Labor Council more than two months ago, are met. The Tehran Municipality, apparently, wants to increase the wages by only 10 percent.

Mayor Alireza Zakani met with strikers Monday but failed to convince them to end their strike. Zakani told the strikers that a six-member committee was still discussing the pay rise, and nothing had been decided.

Fars news agency which is linked to the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) reported Tuesday that some of the protesting drivers left after Zakani’s talk but others who chanted slogans insisted on staying. “The rally of the remaining protesters ended with police interference,” Fars reported Tuesdays.

Strikers have also called on other municipality workers including workers of Tehran Metro (subway) and fire fighters to support their strike. The pay rise that the municipality is still refusing to pay affects other municipality workers’ salaries too, they say.

The government announced Monday evening that all its offices and schools would be closed Tuesday due to dangerous levels of dust and air pollution but many on social media say the closure has nothing to do with air pollution which is a common occurrence and does not shut down the city.

The government apparently used the air pollution excuse not only to announce a closure in Tehran but also other areas of the country including some western and southwestern regions where anti-government protests have been taking place in the past two weeks. On many other occasions in the past no shut down was announced despite similarly high levels of dust and pollution.

“The blow that the bus drivers’ strike has caused to the government is incredible,” a tweet Tuesday said. “A seemingly unassuming yet united strike has forced the government to shut down the capital.”

In exclusive comments to Iran International, the spokesman said on Monday, “We are witnessing brave Iranian protestors demand that their government address their concerns amid rising commodity prices and water and electricity shortages.We have also seen deeply disturbing reports of security forces firing on protesters.Again, we condemn the use of violence against peaceful protestors.”

Iranians on social media questioned the Biden Administration’s silence over the protests in recent days but were mostly thankful when Price tweeted on Sunday.

“Brave Iranian protesters are standing up for their rights. The Iranian people have a right to hold their government accountable,” Price wrote.

Protests began in Iran on May 6 as the government drastically raised food prices, leaving tens of millions of Iranians in danger of facing hunger as inflation surpassing 40 percent has depleted their means to buy basic food.

Hundreds of Twitter users reacted positively to the tweet, although some commented that it was a belated reaction to days of protests by many Iranians risking their lives.

The Trump administration was more vocal when it came to backing the demands of Iranians for good governance and human rights. Some tweets by former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo received overwhelming support by Iranian Americans and others. A tweet against some Iranian officials on January 12, 2021, received more than 42,000 ‘likes’.

The State Department told Iran International on Monday, “We support the human rights of Iranians to peacefully assemble and express themselves, without fear of violence and detention by security forces.”

The spokesman also condemned the disruption of internet services in many cities and towns by the government who wants to prevent news reaching the world about the protests and the violence used against unarmed citizens.

“As Secretary Blinken has previously stated, the United States condemns the use of partial or complete government-imposed Internet shutdowns, among other tactics, to prevent the exercise of freedom of expression online and restrict the ability of independent journalists to serve the public,” the State Department said.

In addition to internet disruption, Iran’s government has also jammed satellite television signals beamed to Iran. The Voice of America, Iran International and other broadcasters provide censored news and views in Persian to Iranians, which the government wants to block.

Asked if the US is considering imposing additional sanctions on the Islamic Republic government for its human rights violations, the spokesman said, “As a general practice, we do not preview sanctions.”

The strike came abruptly and without prior notification. After reports of the BRT bus services having come to a halt, the Tehran Bus company announced that the issue arose from “special circumstances” that it could not explain and promised to resolve theissue, but the news of the strike soon spread on social media.

The strike comes amid reports of considerable presence of security forces in the streets of the capital where the government fears possible eruption of protests triggered by soaring food prices.

Iranians in several smal towns and cities, particularly in the southwestern provinces of the country have been protesting the government decisionto raise food prices ten days ago. The government has tried to suppress the protests heavy-handedly. So far tens of protesters have been arrested and at least five protester deaths have been reported.

Social media users say massive blockage of streets in several of Tehran’s busiest districts and say authorities and police have resorted to using other vehicles including police vans to transport frustrated citizens stuck on the streets. The Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company (SWTSBC) said in an Instagram post that these included buses belonging to military organizations.

The strike started by BRT bus drivers Monday who were later joined by drivers of other bus companies throughout the city who left their vehicles at bus terminals and joined their BRT colleagues in front of the central offices of the Tehran Bus Company and several other locations. There are also reports of technicians of the company joining the drivers.

The striking drivers are demanding their two months of overdue wages and protesting a rumor that the municipality has decided to limit a promised 10 percent raise despite a much higher figure announced earlier by the Supreme Labor Council.

“We Want Our Wages,” drivers chanted and demanded the resignation of Tehran’s hardline Mayor, Alireza Zakani. “Incompetent Mayor, Resign, Resign,” they also chanted.

Zakani cancelled another scheduled meeting and rushed to the drivers’ gathering to talk with strikers’ representatives.

The Instagram account of SWTSBC, the bus drivers’ union which has over 17,000 members, reported that striking drivers refused to send their representatives inside the building and want him to join them outside at their rally. There is a photo on Twitter showing Zakani speaking at the gathering of the drivers but his remarks have not been reported yet.

SWTSBC also reported that police are present at their gathering in large numbers to force them to end their strike. “SWTSBC strongly condemns police interference to end the strike,” another post by SWTSBC said.

According to SWTSBC, security forces have arrested several drivers and other workers of the Tehran Bus Company, including Vahid Fereydouni, one of the union’s activists.

SWTSBC is one of the country’s oldest and largest unions. The government does not recognize the SWTSBC as a legitimate union which has nevertheless continued to organize several industrial actions since 2004.

The union’s leaders, including Mansour Osanlou and Fereydouni have been persecuted and jailed on several occasions since its reactivation in 2004.