(Video)Retirees protest in several cities as Iran’s regime ignores their demands

Protesters were chanting, “High prices and inflation are ruining the people’s lives!” and holding placards that read, “Raise your voice, shout for your rights!”

PARIS, FRANCE, July 21, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ — The National Council of Resistance of Iran-(NCRI) Foreign Affairs Committee in an article stated that retired government employees and pensioners held protest rallies in several cities across Iran on Monday and Tuesday as their living conditions continue to deteriorate under the corrupt rule of the mullahs.

Rallies were reported in Yazd, Karaj, Kermanshah, Sanandaj, Shiraz, Qazvin, Hamedan, and other cities.

In Shiraz, retired government employees hold protest rallies in front of the provincial offices of the state-run retirement fund to reiterate their demands for higher pensions and basic rights. They held placards that read, “No to injustice.”

In the past few years, retirees across Iran have been protesting their deteriorating living conditions, especially as the government refuses to adjust their pensions based on the inflation rate and fluctuations in the price of the rial, Iran’s national currency. The price of most basic goods has spiked severalfold while pensioners continue to receive the same stipends as before.

In Kermanshah, western Iran, retired government employees held a similar rally on Tuesday and called for unity among retirees and pensioners across different sectors, including government, military, and the social security organization.

They also expressed their solidarity with teachers who were protesting and demanding the release of imprisoned teachers.

In Yazd, the retirees were chanting, “Shame on the revolutionary government!” mocking the regime for claiming to help the needy but being engaged in corruption and embezzlement at the highest levels of power.

In Sanandaj, protesters were chanting, “High prices and inflation are ruining the people’s lives!” and holding placards that read, “Raise your voice retirees, shout for your rights!”

For several years regime officials have been making promises to implement the law for adjusting pensions. But as they continue to dither and delay, the lives of pensioners, who rely solely on government stipends, continue to spiral into poverty.

On Tuesday, teachers also held protest rallies in Shiraz to reiterate their demands and call for the release of imprisoned teacher activists. The teachers are regularly protesting the regime’s delays and obstructions in implementing the “ranking bill” and the systemic repression of teacher activists in Iran.

The Majlis passed the “Teachers Ranking” bill last year, which is supposed to address many of the problems the teachers have faced in recent years.

According to the bill, teachers will be classified according to “general, specialized and professional qualifications, experience, and competitive function” and divided into five rankings. Salaries will be determined based on the ranking of the teachers.

While the regime has boasted about the bill and its achievements, Iranian teachers are calling out the regime for not addressing their needs.

On Monday, retirees from the telecom industry held protest rallies in several cities, including Kermanshah, Ahvaz, Sari, Mashhad, and Sanandaj.

The protesters were demanding the implementation of an employment law that was passed in 2010, which would ensure their livelihood needs after retirement. The protesters are also facing severe problems in basic needs such as healthcare.

Knowing that the regime will not easily meet the basic demands of the people, the retirees called on others to join the protests. “Retirees, rise to fight discrimination!” protesters were chanting in Ahvaz.

In the past few years, retirees across Iran have been protesting their deteriorating living conditions, especially as the government refuses to adjust their pensions based on the inflation rate and fluctuations in the price of the rial, Iran’s national currency.

The price of most basic goods has spiked severalfold while pensioners continue to receive the same stipends as before.

In Ahvaz, the protesters were chanting, “Our enemy is right here, they are lying that it is the US!” making it clear that the root of all their miseries is the regime itself.

In Tehran, the protesters were chanting, “High prices, inflation, have ruined the people’s lives!”

For several years regime officials have been making promises to implement the law for adjusting pensions. But as they continue to dither and delay, the lives of pensioners, who rely solely on government stipends, continue to spiral into poverty.

Meanwhile, the retirees have made it clear that they will not stop their protests until they get their basic rights. In Ahvaz, the protesters were chanting, “We will only obtain our rights in the streets!” and in Shush, they shouted, “Retirees will die but won’t give in to disgrace!”

Also on Sunday, disabled people in several cities held organized protest rallies as the regime continues to deny them their most basic rights. Protests were reported in Tehran, Kermanshah, Ardabil, and Kerman.

The protesters are demanding that the regime implements Article 27 of the law for disabled people. This article states that the government must provide the basic needs of severely disabled people who cannot take jobs and provide for themselves.

This article was passed into law in 2017 but the government continues to refrain from implementing it. In this year’s budget bill, the funds that were to be allocated for this purpose were revoked.

The protesters held placards that made their situation clear. In Tehran, one banner read, “Enough with the tyranny, our tables are empty!”

In Kermanshah, the protesters were holding placards that condemned the regime’s actions as human rights violations and reminded them that the law has already been passed.

“The implementation of article 27 is our undeniable right,” a placard read in the rally of protesters in Kerman, who had gathered in front of the provincial offices of the Welfare Organization.

Also on Sunday, a group of steelworkers at the Gilan Ferro Complex, northern Iran, held a rally in protest of the discriminatory policies of regime authorities and poor safety standards that have led to the recent death of one of their coworkers.

These protests are happening against the backdrop of increasing repressive measures by the regime. While the people are struggling to make ends meet and carry out a decent living, the regime has been spending exorbitant amounts to bolster its security apparatus, including the detested Gasht-e Ershad (Guidance Patrol), a repressive force that controls the observation of the regime’s reactionary dress code and hijab laws.

In recent days, there have been numerous photos and videos of the heavy presence of the morality police in public places. The regime wants to thus intimidate the public and prevent protests, especially as we near the first anniversary of the September 2022 protests, which were sparked by the murder of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini at the hands of the morality police.

Shahin Gobadi
NCRI
+33 6 61 65 32 31
email us here

Anti-regime protests resumed in several Iranian cities on Monday. Merchants at Amin Hozoor market in Tehran went on strike.