Iranian Women Prisoners at Evin Mark Labor Day With 3-Day Event

In an act of solidarity, women at Iran's Evin Prison held a three-day commemoration of International Labor Day within the women's ward. 

This involved a significant amount of collective effort by the prisoners, culminating in programs.

The first day of the commemoration featured a "worker's gallery" displayed on the walls. 

Handwritten posters addressed two key themes: workers' rights and the history of Iran's labor movement over the past century. 

These posters, created from discarded newspapers, showed workers' struggles and resistance and served as powerful visual and textual reminders of labor issues. 

Day two focused on spoken word and discussion. It began with poetry readings, followed by a deep dive into various topics related to labor. 

The topics included the history of International Labor Day globally and in Iran, the challenges and demands faced by the working class, the role of labor unions, and the inherent political nature of these issues. 

The event paid special attention to the plight of oil workers. The day was concluded with documentaries on labor struggles, highlighting the importance of labor cinema in this context.

On the final day, they explored the interconnectedness of various forms of oppression. They held discussions on how the struggles of workers are intertwined with those of women, ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ individuals, immigrants, religious minorities, and others. 

The concept of "prison labor" was also examined, focusing on the different situations faced by sentenced laborers, volunteers, and those who refuse to work. 

The challenges faced by retirees were another point of discussion.

The program concluded with an impactful performance piece titled "Workers' Herds from the Wheel of Oppression." 

Inspired by Saeed Sultanpour's play "Abbas-Agha, Iran National Worker," this piece used theatrical storytelling to explore the personal experiences of prisoners as workers.