Tehran Pensioners’ Protest Crackdown; Journalist Kamyar Fakour Beaten and Detained

On March 8, a significant number of pensioners protesting their insufficient pensions along with civil society activists, journalists and worker’s rights activists rallied in front of the Ministry of Labour building on Azadi Street in Tehran.

“Security forces violently attacked in the first hours of it forming, punching, kicking and beating protesters. Initially, they attacked some of the pensioners on Behboudi Street (the street next to the Ministry of Labour building), punching and kicking them, and as they ran towards the Shadman metro entrance, the officers closed the metro entrance and attacked the pensioners, beating them as they arrested a number of people,” an eye witness has told IHR.

According to the witness, Esmail Gerami, a retired teacher, Assad Moftahi, a Snapfood worker (Deliveroo equivalent) and Kamyar Fakour, an economic journalist and activist, were arrested along with several other protesters.

According to reports, this was the ninth pensioners’ protest against the Social Security Organisation’s failure  to adjust their pensions according to the inflation rate. Less than 24 hours prior to the protest, pensioners gathered in front of the parliament building demanding the approval of a bill that would authorise a 90,000 billion Tomans boost to the Social Security Organisation.

The bill is intended to pay a part of the government’s debt to the Social Security Organisation in order to equalise the imbalance between pensions and retirement funds. According to Article 96 of the Social Security Act, pensions must be increased in accordance with the inflation rate.

However, in response to the pensioners’ demands, the Social Security Organisation announced that they were unable to meet their demands because Hassan Rouhani’s government owed the organisation more than 340,000 billion Tomans.

Pensioners in at least 18 other cities across Iran, including Ahvaz, Ardabil, Rasht, Tabriz and Bojnourd, took to the streets on Sunday. Pensioners had also gathered outside government buildings in more than 16 cities on January 3.

The Supreme Labour Council’s Wage Committee has set the monthly worker’s expenditure basket at 6.895 million Tomans, while labour activists estimate the real amount to be more than 10 millions Tomans.

According to Tehran Pensioners’ Association, of the more than three million pensioners covered by the Social Security Organisation’s pension fund, 60% are on minimum wage rates.

However, the government has used budget deficits and pension fund bankruptcies as an excuse to not raise pension funds in recent years. And instead of responding to their demands, pensioners have faced crackdowns and trumped-up security charges when they have protested.

At least nine people were arrested and several others beaten by security forces during the latest crackdown on the pensioners’ gathering outside the Ministry of Labour building in Tehran.

According to an informed source, all the detainees have either been released on bail or on written agreements, except for journalist Kamyar Fakour, who is held at Evin Prison.

“The Evin court has set a bail of 100 million Tomans for Kamyar Fakour, but have refused to release him despite his family’s follow-ups,” the source said.

Eye witnesses and informed sources told IHR that not only was the journalist beaten up during his arrest, but has also been beaten in detention, with his right eye sustaining the worst injury.