Ali Nejati (علی نجاتی) is an Iranian labor activist and a member of the managing board of the labor union representing employees of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company. Nejati has been active in the Iranian trade unionist movement for over a decade. In the late 2000s, he served as the president of Haft Tappeh Workers Union for a while before he was arrested and imprisoned because of his activism. Most recently, on November 29, 2018 Nejati was arrested and charged with "disrupting public order", "collusion and assembly against national security" and "cooperation in establishing a group intended to disrupt peace and security".

Haft Tappeh Sugar Cane Workers Union

In November 2008, after being inactive for almost 30 years since The Revolution, the Haft Tappeh Workers Union resumed its activities. Despite public opposition from Ministries of Labor and Intelligence of the

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ( fa, محمود احمدی‌نژاد, Mahmūd Ahmadīnežād ), born Mahmoud Sabbaghian ( fa, محمود صباغیان, Mahmoud Sabbāghyān, 28 October 1956),

administration, over 1000 workers participated in the election for the managing board of the union. A few days before the election

Ali Kordan Ali Kordan (23 October 1958 – 22 November 2009) was an Iranian conservative politician who served in the Revolutionary Guards, the judiciary and as deputy oil minister, before becoming interior minister of Iran in 2008 for just 90 days. He was ...

had declared the formation of independent labor unions a threat to the Islamic Republic. The company management, for its part, had issued a directive prohibiting the workers from unionizing. The workers voted to elect a group that included Ali Nejati as the managing board of the union. Nejati and the majority of the leadership of the union were soon arrested by Iranian security forces and sentenced to prison.

Arrest by IRGC

Nejati was detained by the

Revolutionary Guards The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC; fa, سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی, Sepāh-e Pāsdārān-e Enghelāb-e Eslāmi, lit=Army of Guardians of the Islamic Revolution also Sepāh or Pasdaran for short) is a branch o ...

in 2016 and held without charge or legal representation for 15 days in IRGC's infamous detention centers before he was released on bail. He was eventually charged with the following crimes: "communicating with activists abroad, energizing the workers' movement in northern

Khuzestan Khuzestan Province (also spelled Xuzestan; fa, استان خوزستان ''Ostān-e Xūzestān'') is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is in the southwest of the country, bordering Iraq and the Persian Gulf. Its capital is Ahvaz and it covers ...

, organizing

May Day May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. Festivities may also be held the night before, known as May Eve. T ...

and

March 8th Events Pre-1600 * 1010 – Ferdowsi completes his epic poem ''Shahnameh''. *1126 – Following the death of his mother, queen Urraca of León, Alfonso VII is proclaimed king of León. * 1262 – Battle of Hausbergen between bourg ...

events, and establishing a small public library in the city of

Andimeshk Andimeshk ( fa, اندیمشک, also Romanized as Āndīmeshḵ) is a city and capital of Andimeshk County, Khuzestan Province, Iran. Andimeshk is located about north of Shush, on the main road and the rail line between Tehran and Ahvaz. The n ...

." He was sentenced to six months in prison.

References

2017–2018 Iranian protests Working conditions Iranian prisoners and detainees Year of birth missing (living people) Living people {{Iran-activist-stub

Haft Tappeh Sugar Cane Workers Union

Arrest by IRGC

See also

References