Iran has sentenced workers to five years’ imprisonment for taking part in industrial action demanding several months of owed back pay, the ILNA news agency reported yesterday.
Esmail Bakhshi and Mohammad Khanifar took part in a protest in January along with dozens of other workers at the Haft Tapeh sugar mill in the southern Khuzestan province.
ILNA did not say when the sentences were handed down.
Before his arrest, Mr Bakhshi wrote on his Instagram page that he had been beaten and tortured while in temporary detention. He was released on bail of about $70,000 (£53,000) in October. There was no information on whether Mr Khanifar had also been released on bail.
A third worker from the same region, Sepideh Gholian, was also given a five-year sentence for supporting a strike in October 2018.
Ms Gholian was arrested during a demonstration in support of a workers’ strike, and released this October on about $130,000 (£99,000) bail.
Source » morningstaronline