SMCCDI (Information Service)
January 28, 2006

Tens of Tehran’s Collective Bus drivers, technicians and workers have been wounded by brutal militiamen who have attacked the strikers gathered in some of the terminals. The strikers were refusing to allow Bassij para-military members to take the wheels of their vehicles.

Wives of at least 3 strikers have been arrested at their homes and brought to an unknown destination in order to be use as tool of pressure against their husbands. Threats have been made about their fate if the strike doesn’t come to an end and that the drivers and other employees of Tehran’s Collective Bus Company don’t start work on Sunday morning.

But despite all repressive methods used by the Islamic republic regime, many of the employees have stayed home by forcing the Islamic regime to deploy its plain clothes security agents in the streets of the Capital and behind the wheels of the buses.

The un-experienced appointed drivers have a hard time to insure the service and many users are refusing to take the buses in sign of solidarity with the strikers.

Many workers, students and governmental employees, such as teachers, are using the transport problem for not showing up at their works or classes. Tracts have been distributed in the Capital by underground social or workers groups declaring solidarity with the strikers.

Many cab drivers have put their head lights on and are using their horns in show of solidarity and many residents are showing the ‘V’ (Victory) sign. The move is very noticeable in the Enghelab and Azadi squares. Militiamen are looking very worry and are arresting the residents.

The strike has created serious problems in the transport despite the fact that hundreds of regular drivers and the Greater Tehran’s Collective Bus employees have been arrested or threatened.

Many of the arrests took place, yesterday evening, at the homes of those suspected to be part of the strike and the Islamic judiciary is intending to trial many of them for conspiracy. False charges, such as, “Drug trafficking”, “Having Prohibited Arms” or “Endangering the National Security” are expected to be use against the arrested employees. Threats have been made against the family members of many employees and militiamen have been deployed in the terminals in order to control the situation. The Islamic regime has also transferred many militiamen of the Bassij Force’s logistic to fill the shifts of the arrested employees.

The regime’s leadership was hoping to limit the impact of the action by resorting to its usual repressive actions.

http://daneshjoo.org/publishers/currentnews/article_3630.shtml

Portions of the article have already been posted here: http://netwmd.com/blog/2006/01/28/320, and are not duplicated herein.

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