An Iranian labour protest leader Esmail Bakhshi was arrested on 20 January 2019 for the second time after the judge denied his claim that he was tortured in custody late last year. Bakhshi was one of the organisers of weeks of protests at the Haft Tapeh sugar factory in the city of Shush in November and December, over unpaid wages and alleged criminal activity by new private owners. State TV also broadcast a programme claiming that Bakhshi and Sepideh Gholian, another activist who supported the Haft Tapeh strikers, had connections with Europe-based activists who "aim to topple the state". “The timing of their arrest strongly suggests it is part of a sinister attempt to silence and punish them for speaking out about the horrific abuse they suffered in custody,” Philip Luther, research and advocacy director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International.