There is no exact date of the formation of the anarchist movement in Iran but the anarchist movement started to show more activity in 2009.
The anarchists in Iran who were mostly in the proletariat movement created a group, which was called “The Anarchist Network”. This group was very popular among students and many students were either members of “The Anarchist Network” or under the influence of it, they had the political activity. The “Anarchist Network” was destroyed due to the betrayal of a member.
In 2009, the same anarchists who created “The Anarchist Network” again started showing collective presence by creating a new group which was called: “The Anarchist Era”, the basis of struggle of the group was freedom for the working class.
Since anarchism was a new idea of living and struggling in Iran, from the beginning, we did not have much power to act but day by day more people secretly or even publicly became active for the struggle and joined the anarchist movement..
In the history of the anarchist movement in Iran, some of our comrades have gone to prison or are still in prison:
Anarcho-Syndicalist Soheil Arabi, a comrade who struggled for the working class, freedom and equality, he got arrested in 2013 (at the moment he is still in Bozorg Prison in Tehran).
More info in English here and here.
Anarchist ex-prisoner Abtin Parsa, who got arrested nn 2014, he stayed in the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) secret prison in Zarghan City for one and a half years, he was released on the condition that he ceased all political activity but he escaped from Iran to Greece on 2016.
“The Anarchist Union of Iran and Afghanistan” as a revolutionary evolution for anarchists in the Middle East was created in May 2018 by three groups in the beginning:(At the moment more groups are members of the union)
1-The Anarchist Era Collective (a community of anarchists from Iran and Afghanistan operating both inside and outside their countries) 2-The Anarchist group “Aleyh” (based in Afghanistan) 3-The Revolutionary Radical Anarchist Front (based in Iran)
More info here
☆ Based on what the beginning of our struggle has been and what from the experience we have gained, the basis of struggle of the Anarchist Union of Iran and Afghanistan is freedom for the working class ☆
The Anarchist Union of Iran and Afghanistan
(via Athens Indymedia, slightly edited for clarity)
