According to images and reports received by the Karoon Human Rights Organization, Ahwazi Arab job-seeking youth from the surrounding area gathered outside the Daabel Khazaei Sugarcane Agro-Industrial Company in Ahwaz on the 20th consecutive day of their protest against unemployment and the company’s employment policies.
On Sunday, September 20, the protesting youth said that despite continuing their demonstrations for the past 20 days, repeatedly following up on their demands, and formally raising their employment concerns, they have so far received no clear response from officials of the Islamic Republic or the relevant authorities.
The protests had previously been met with intervention by police and security forces. According to videos and reports received by the Karoon Human Rights Organization, armed forces present at the protest site used violence to disperse the demonstrators and opened fire toward the protesting youth.
Eyewitnesses and local sources also reported that one of the officers allegedly attempted to create an artificial injury to his fingers in order to justify the arrest of protesters and portray the detention of local youth as lawful.
The protesting youth and their families, who have gathered on behalf of residents of communities surrounding the Daabel Khazaei Sugarcane Agro-Industrial Company, say that the company operates across approximately 12,000 hectares of land, a significant portion of which they maintain belongs to the local area and its indigenous population.
According to the protesters, despite the presence of qualified local young people with university degrees and various professional skills, the company’s management has prioritized the recruitment of non-local workers, leaving young people from the surrounding communities without access to employment opportunities.
The protesters have emphasized that their demonstrations and legal follow-up are aimed at demanding that qualified local workers be given priority in the recruitment process.
They have also submitted a request to the relevant authorities, calling for a transparent review of the company’s recruitment procedures, the way employment needs are announced, recruitment criteria, and the proportion of local workers employed. They further called for appropriate measures to be taken to protect the rights of local young people if any violations or deprivation of their employment rights are established.
The Karoon Human Rights Organization condemns the failure of officials to address the employment-related and legal demands of local young people and calls for an immediate and transparent review of their demands, as well as respect for the right to peaceful protest and the legal rights of the demonstrators.
