This Week Around Iran

This week in Iran's provinces, violent crackdowns in Tabriz spur anger, Bushehr blood donations are refused, plans to improve literacy rates are announced, state television pulls program accused of defamation following protests, and a senior government official speaks out against female under-representation in Iran.

South Bushehr Residents Prevented from Donating Blood

High levels of pollutants will mean that blood donations from residents in parts of Bushehr in southeastern Iran will be refused. The pollution, emitted around the province's South Pars gas field, potentially affects the health of Kangan and Asalouyeh residents, making them unsuitable candidates for blood donation, Salas News reported on 13 February.

Taha Dashti-Motlagh, a local representative to the country's High Provincial Council, said that exposure to air pollutants meant an enforcement of "serious and continuous measures dedicated to alleviating the pollution problem” was necessary and requested “assistance from countries with experience dealing with the issue". The Kangan representative also noted that local industries responsible for the pollution have avoided emission-related taxes by taking advantage of a legal loophole.

Report Finds Nearly 10 Million Iranians Illiterate

A report released at the Council on Education in Sistan-Baluchestan Province this week has found that nearly 10 million Iranians cannot read or write. According to Mehr, Ali Bagherzadeh, head of Iran's literacy organization, outlined plans for educating 2.7 million illiterate individuals via their literate children beginning in October 2014. The most troubling statistics concerned Sistan-Baluchesten, one of the most deprived areas of the country with a large Sunni population. About 33 per cent of the province's women are reportedly illiterate. Bagherzadeh said, with government help, necessary steps must be taken to improve the country's literacy rate.

Violent Crackdown on Tabriz Protests Draws Harsh Criticism

A Tabriz representative has harshly criticized what he called "violent police crackdowns” against tile workers protesting outside East Azerbaijan's provincial governing building. According to ILNA, MP Mohammad Ismail Saidi, condemned the "violent encounter", explaining that "the situation should have never gotten this far. The aggrieved laborers are individuals whose voices have not been heard and were simply gathered to voice their complaints to the provincial officials." Saidi pointed to more than two years of unpaid wages for 221 tile workers as the source of discontent, adding that the workers who belong to "the vulnerable class of society" are demanding the payment of their wages ahead of the Iranian New Year. The tile workers of Tabriz have held several demonstrations so far, the latest ending in a violent shutdown by police.

Vice-President Speaks Out Against Under-Representation of Women in Iran

Iran's Vice-President for Women and Family Affairs has spoken out against the underrepresentation of women in President Hassan Rouhani's administration. During a visit to a fish-farming center in Mazandaran Province, Shahindokht Mowlaverdi said: "Certain requirements are needed to facilitate a greater role for women in government, but even more important than a lack of required resources is the absence of proper existing management." Pointing to the gap between rhetoric and action in Rouhani's government, Mowlaverdi added, "In the president's first cabinet meeting, the ministers were asked to ensure female appointments in deputy roles. The same request was made during a gathering with provincial governors." However, even positions that women gained with great difficulty in the past have now been lost, Mowlaverdi said. The visit to the Mazandaran fish farm was reportedly part of an effort to assess the state of administrative jobs for women, with Mowlaverdi stating that her ministry is in the process of making plans to mitigate the problem of female underrepresentation.

State TV Pulls Series After Bakhtiari Protests

Iranian state TV halted the broadcast of a series after thousands of ethnic Bakhtiaris in Khuzestan and neighboring provinces protested. The suspended series, Sarzamin-e Kohan (The Ancient Land), reportedly defames and distorts the image of the Bakhtiari people. In the program, Bakhtiaris are represented by a corrupt, monarchist family acting as puppets of the British. The largest protest took place in Izeh, where some 10,000 demonstrators reportedly gathered.