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Mehdi Hamidi Shafiq

The news of 17 workers in the Agh Darreh gold mine in Takab receiving lashes for the first time was announced by Vahid Yari, the lawyer defending these workers, in an interview with the ILNA website. According to him, the judicial sentences for these workers, which included carrying out the punishment of lashes and paying a fine, were implemented in the last days of the month of Ordibehesht, following a complaint by the mine’s employer. He stated that these workers were tried separately in two criminal cases, in branch 101 of the criminal court in Takab and branch 10 of the appellate court in West Azerbaijan province, and were collectively sentenced to imprisonment, paying a fine, and receiving lashes. Ultimately, with the complainant’s withdrawal and the use of the judicial pardon, the imprisonment sentences for all the workers were cancelled, and the punishment of paying a fine and receiving lashes were carried out for each of the defendants.

The issue began when in December of last year, the dynamic Zarkan Company, as the main contractor of the Aq Darreh gold mine, adjusted the contracts of 350 seasonal workers due to the expiration of their work contracts. In protest of this action by the employer, a widespread gathering was held by the laid-off workers, and as a result of the confrontation between security forces and protesters, on the evening of the sixth day of December 2014, one of the workers, who was under mental pressure, committed suicide in protest of losing his job. At that time, the Takab court, upon the complaint of the employer, arrested about 26 workers on charges of causing disturbance. This complaint by the employer led to the sentencing of 17 workers to fines and lashes.

After widespread coverage of this news in domestic and foreign Persian-language media and protests against this unjust ruling on social media, in response to these reports and protests, the head of the judiciary in West Azerbaijan, in an interview about the implementation of this ruling, said: “Contrary to the claims and speculations, this was not about the implementation of flogging for workers, and the individuals who were punished were disruptors of public order and security. However, despite the existing evidence, this denial was not effective, and due to the extensive coverage of the news and protests, officials involved in this case were called to the scene one by one. First, Ali Rabiei, the Minister of Labor, Welfare, and Social Affairs, dismissed Reza Naghizadeh, the Director General of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare of West Azerbaijan Province, for his lack of knowledge about the implementation of flogging for the workers of the Agh Dareh gold mine. Alireza Mahj

In the meantime, the release of photos of expensive and luxurious cars belonging to a 20-year-old young man named Mehdiyar Ahmadi in Canada, who is said to be the son of one of the main owners of Pouya Zarkan Mining Company in Aq Darreh Takab, named Majid Ahmadi Neiri, sparked even more public outrage against this inhumane decision on social media networks. In various news reports, Abbas Ahmadi Neiri and Majid Ahmadi Neiri are referred to as the main owners of Pouya Zarkan Company. It is also said that these two are former members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Despite the widespread and widespread protests on social media and various news outlets, Hassan Rouhani did not mention this incident during his trip to West Azerbaijan; neither did he nor any members of his cabinet or government spokesperson show any reaction to this issue. However, as mentioned, the Minister of Labor, Welfare and Social Affairs dismissed the

Among all of this, with the implementation of this order, the attention of everyone was drawn to the city of Takab; a deprived and remote city in the northwest of the country, which despite its potential in the field of handicrafts and hand-woven carpets, the existence of ancient and world-renowned monuments such as the Takht-e Suleiman and its unique and pristine nature, is suffering from poverty and deprivation due to the presence of two large gold mines – considered to be among the largest gold mines in the Middle East. This city is one of the most migrant-sending cities in West Azerbaijan province and has a high unemployment and poverty rate. The two large gold mines of Takab, located 10 kilometers apart in the Takht-e Suleiman region, are 45 kilometers away from this city.

The Agh Dareh gold mine is located 30 kilometers from Takab city and 15 kilometers from the Takht-e Soleyman cultural and tourism complex in the south of West Azerbaijan. This mine has over 30 tons of confirmed gold reserves. The operation of the Puya Zarkan gold extraction and processing factory near the Agh Dareh gold mine began in 2004 with an investment of over 20 million dollars in Takab city. This factory extracts 2.2 tons of 24-carat gold annually. In addition, the Zarshuran gold mine is the largest gold mine in the Middle East and is considered the most important and richest gold deposit in the country.

However, despite the immense wealth of gold mines in this region, the residents are still struggling with poverty, deprivation, and lagging behind in development. The cycle of deprivation can be seen in various parts of this ancient city with a rich culture. Apart from industrial waste, abandoned dams, and the leakage of pollutants, the only benefit from the rich gold resources in Takab is the employment of a few hundred workers in mines and gold factories. These workers have no job security, work long hours, and often do not receive their rightful wages. Whenever the owners of the gold factories desire, they can adjust their workforce and lay them off, and if they protest, they are beaten!

In any case, with the implementation of this order, once again the Iranian civil society became aware of the deplorable and inhumane situation of workers in Iran, who have become unemployed due to the severe economic recession in recent years. Although labor protests have been on the rise in Iran in recent years, the government has always suppressed these gatherings and prevented their expansion. Some of these labor activists are now well-known prisoners, and a major reason for this issue is the weakness and lack of independent labor unions that can defend the rights of workers and prevent their rights from being violated.

Given the current economic situation, which has led to the closure of many production factories or their decision to downsize or delay payment of workers’ wages, we must wait and see if we will witness such inhumane measures against workers again. The recent flogging sentence for workers in Bafq’s mine, which was immediately carried out, shows that this trend continues; workers are still being whipped!