Behind the Headlines/January 9

In tonight’s program of Behind the Headlines we will look at the continuation of the workers strike across Iran and ask why the regime still answers them with more crackdowns.

We will also find out if this regime can ever reform itself.

Also, what is the achievement of this regime forty years after coming to power and continuing its rule through repression and despotism, as one of its leaders has claimed that under it Iran has advanced 400 years!!

We will discuss these issues with our guests Mohammad Nourizad and Dr. Sadeq Zibakalam.

Dr. Sadeq Zibakalam:

In my view, the main problem in Iran is that we have many demands from various social and economic classes who have not received their rights or salaries but as we have a closed political climatetheir economic demands soon become highly political.

Then the system reacts politically too and the government becomes involved, whereas managers and officials should handle these issues at lower levels.

And when our students join these protesting sections of our society the establishment becomes even more agitated and responses with repression and arresting people where later we have the case of a labour activist complaining about having been mistreated in prison. And at the end we have a political crisis on our hands.

Mohammad Nourizad:

The worker who takes to the streets and shouts for his rights has tried every possible avenue before but as he has not been heard by his managers or the state he sees no other alternative but totake matters into his own hands.

The regime claims that our workers’ demands are political but forgets that its own supporters always act politically to pursue their aims.

Why do we have to wait so long to see that an economic demand turns into political objectives?

The answer lies in the fact that this regime is made up of thieves and murderers who see the slightest opposition by the nation as a threat to their existence which is based on ignoring the demands of the people and only responding to them with brutality.