Employees of Iran’s Environmental Protection Organization (EPO) held protests in Tehran on Oct. 24. The protests were widely covered and welcomed by Iran’s conservative media and conservative politicians who issued warnings to the head of the EPO, Masoumeh Ebtekar.
The protesters held signs addressing the lack of accountability in the organization's budget and workers' wages, saying they do not even reach poverty level earnings in Iran.
The conservative Fars News Agency interviewed protesters who claimed that unqualified individuals were hired at the organization for their political loyalty rather than their expertise. They claimed there have been 240 individuals illegally hired by the organization to increase the number of political allies. Others complained to Fars News that there is a culture of intimidation in the organization, that those who protest poor management or their wages have been threatened with firing or encouraged to leave.
In an article headlined “Ebtekar’s honeymoon is over,” Raja News published an interview with former deputy at the EPO, Mohammad Bagher Sadough. Sadough compared Ebtekar to the former Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, when he created a one-party state and told those who are not happy to leave the country. Sadough claimed that Ebtekar had polarized the organization and created an “us versus them” environment.
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