On the 1 May, Behnam Ebrahimzadeh, an Iranian labour and children’s rights activist, was finally released from Rajee Shahr prison. Benham spent almost 7 years in jail for the ‘crime’ of attempting to form independent labour organisations. The day before, another long-time imprisoned labour activist, Esmail Abdi, began a hunger strike. In conjunction with the start of his hunger strike, Esmail released a statement calling for justice for his fellow teachers in Iran. While the situation in Iran continues to be terrible for labour activists, protests against conditions and repression continue. The last year has also seen the politicisation of many of these strikes as workers direct their anger against the Government.
On the 1 May, Behnam Ebrahimzadeh, an Iranian labour and children’s rights activist, was finally released from Rajee Shahr prison. Benham spent almost 7 years in jail for the ‘crime’ of attempting to form independent labour organisations. The day before, another long-time imprisoned labour activist, Esmail Abdi, began a hunger strike. In conjunction with the start of his hunger strike, Esmail released a statement calling for justice for his fellow teachers in Iran. While the situation in Iran continues to be terrible for labour activists, protests against conditions and repression continue. The last year has also seen the politicisation of many of these strikes as workers direct their anger against the Government.
