The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), and the People’s Mujahedin of Iran (PMOI / MEK Iran), reported that the pensioners rallied in 28 cities for the seventh consecutive week to protest their living conditions.
Retirees and pensioners protest
Iranian retirees and pensioners held protest rallies in 28 cities on Sunday to reiterate their demands from the mullahs’ regime. This is the seventh organized rally of the retirees and pensioners in 2021.
Retirees and pensioners are gathering despite the repression and presence of repressive forces. In the past few years, the retirees and pensioners have been regularly protesting low wages, and the regime’s refused to adjust their pensions based on the devaluation of the rial and the rising inflation rate.
The retirees and pensioners held their protests in Tehran, Tabriz, Isfahan, Yazd, Qazvin, Karaj, Khorramabad, Ahvaz, Rasht, Urmia, Shiraz, Kermanshah, Ardabil, Ilam, Sari, Arak, Mashhad, Sanandaj, Kerman, Bojnurd, Abadan, Shahroud, Shush, Behshahr, Neyshabur, Shooshtar, Dezful, and Hafttapeh.
In their protests, the retirees and pensioners were chanting:
“Our enemy is right here, they lie that it’s America,”
“Enough empty promises, our tables are empty,”
“Our tables are empty, while you (regime officials) live well-off, enough oppression,”
“The nation has never seen so much injustice,”
“inflation rate is based on the dollar, our salaries are in rials,”
“Poverty line is 12 million rials, our salary is 3 million rials,”
“How can we survive with a salary below 3 million rials?”
Repressive forces attacked the rally
In Tehran, protests started in front of the offices of the Social Security Organization. The regime’s repressive forces (SSF) attacked the rally, beating many protesters and arresting others.
The repressive forces (SSF) also seized some of the demonstrators’ and banners and leaflets and confiscated mobile phones, which was met with resistance by the retirees and pensioners. The security forces confiscated the mobile phones of the protesters to prevent videos of the protests to be broadcast online.
In Tabriz, a large rally was held in front of the offices of the Social Security Organization.
In Shahroud the repressive forces (SSF) also attacked protesters, seized the retirees and pensioners’ banners and placards, and leaflets, and dispersed them.
In Shushtar, the protesters also gathered in front of the local office of the Social Security Organization.
In Karaj, the protesters were chanting, “Astronomical salaries for regime officials, misery for the public.” The protesters held a banner that read: “With a base monthly salary of 28 million rials, and while the poverty line is 10 million rials, pensioners can’t pay for their expenses.”
In Isfahan, the protesters were chanting: “The result of the government’s work is the plundering of the people’s money.”
The retirees and pensioners are demanding the implementation of article 96 of the welfare law, which states that pensions must be adjusted to allow pensioners to procure their needs.
A new balance between the Mullah regime and the Iranian people
The mullahs’ regime has a history of cracking down on organized protests with severe brutality. These protests show that the people are becoming increasingly bold in face of the regime’s repressive apparatus, but at the same time, the regime is becoming less and less efficient in its capacity to quell protests. This is a true manifestation of a new balance between the Mullah regime and the Iranian people.
Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), saluted the oppressed retirees and said their continued protests echo the Iranian people’s stolen rights.
Maryam Rajavi called on the youth across the country to support the protesters and urged the United Nations and the human rights organizations to take urgent action to secure the immediate release of the detainees.
MEK Iran (follow them on Twitter and Facebook)
and People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran – MEK IRAN – YouTube
