On November 19, widespread protests erupted in several cities across Iran, with citizens voicing their demands on issues ranging from workers’ rights to the economic challenges faced by disabled individuals.
In Tehran, Iran’s capital, disabled citizens gathered outside the Planning and Budget Organization, demanding the government implement Article 27 of the Law for the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Protesters chanted, “Empty promises are enough, our tables are empty,” highlighting the government’s failure to provide the legally mandated support for disabled individuals unable to work.
In Tabriz, the capital of East Azerbaijan province in northwest Iran, workers from the Iran Tractor Manufacturing Company held a rally to protest poor working conditions and low wages. The workers from the forging section demanded immediate improvements, signaling growing frustration among industrial workers in the region.
November 19—Yasuj, southwest Iran
Nurses of Jalil hospital rally to protest the government's lack of response to their demands for higher wages and better working conditions. #IranProtests pic.twitter.com/WcIT6xmwIB— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) November 19, 2024
In Yasuj, the capital of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province in southwest Iran, nurses from Jalil Hospital protested for better wages and working conditions. These nurses, who have been staging protests for six days, gathered in the hospital courtyard to demand urgent attention to their grievances, which they claim have gone unaddressed for far too long.
Meanwhile, in Kermanshah, the capital of Kermanshah province in western Iran, retired citizens protested outside the State Retirement Fund office. They chanted slogans like, “A retiree’s salary lasts only one week,” and “Retirees, shout out for your rights,” emphasizing the inadequacy of their pensions amid rising inflation and economic hardship.
These protests reflect a growing wave of discontent across Iran as citizens from various regions and sectors take to the streets, demanding the government address their urgent needs and uphold its legal obligations.
November 19—Tehran, Iran
Disabled people hold protest rally in front of the Planning and Budget Organization, demanding the implementation of the law that requires the government to provide the basic needs of disabled people who can't work.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/xTjWkHUo4p— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) November 19, 2024
Reports indicate that Saeed Gharibi, a political prisoner held in Adelabad Prison in Shiraz, the capital of Fars province in southern Iran, attempted self-immolation in protest of his “unjust sentence.” Gharibi, convicted of “membership in opposition groups,” had been sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment and 15 years of exile.
According to his lawyer, prison authorities have refused to transfer him to a hospital despite the severity of his burns. This incident follows similar self-immolation protests by other political prisoners in Iran, underscoring the deteriorating conditions in the country’s prisons. Human rights organizations have repeatedly criticized the clerical regime in Iran for its treatment of prisoners, highlighting systemic violations of human rights.
