At least 20 people have been arrested across Iran since truck drivers launched a nationwide strike on May 22, with political prisoners in Tehran’s Evin Prison voicing support on the protest’s ninth day.
Arrests have been made across Iran, including in the north, south, and west, according to a report on Friday by US-based rights group Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).
The Union of Truck Drivers and Transport Workers called for the immediate release of those detained and vowed to continue the strike until their demands are met.
Drivers are demanding better working conditions, higher freight rates, and relief from high insurance costs and fuel restrictions.
Earlier, the Union of Truck Drivers and Transport Workers had announced that 11 drivers were arrested in Kermanshah and some others in Sanandaj, both Kurdish-populated cities in western Iran.
The union accused security forces of using pepper spray and violence against protesters at the Sanandaj terminal.
Iranian authorities in several provinces confirmed further arrests.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) in Gilan province, in northern Iran, said a citizen was detained in Rasht for allegedly supporting opposition groups.
Its branch in Khuzestan province, in the southwest, reported two arrests in Bandar Imam.
The police chief of Bandar Lengeh, a southern port city in Hormozgan province, said one person was detained for posting a video encouraging participation in the strike, which was shared with foreign-based media.
In Shiraz, located in the south-central province of Fars, the local prosecutor announced the arrest of several drivers on charges of “disrupting transportation,” without specifying how many were detained.
The strike has spread to more than 141 cities despite the crackdown, signaling one of the largest coordinated labor actions in Iran in recent months.
Growing support for strikes
The nationwide strike has drawn support from activists and political prisoners.
On Friday, 13 political prisoners at Evin Prison in Tehran issued a message backing the strike, saying: “We, the political prisoners, stand alongside the truck drivers and all those on strike at this critical moment in history.”
The strike has spread to more than 141 cities despite the crackdown, signaling one of the largest coordinated labor actions in Iran in recent months.
Iran’s exiled prince Reza Pahlavi on Friday called on labor unions around the world to support striking truck drivers and workers in Iran, who he said are risking their lives by demanding their rights amid arrests and intimidation.
“Only in a free Iran will all workers have the right to freely and openly organize,” Pahlavi wrote on X. “I invite you, labor unions and leaders, to stand with your fellow workers in Iran and show your solidarity.”
