IASWI
Iran Reports

Accountability for the death & suffering of political prisoners in Iran

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 Demonstrations were called in July 2013 in different countries to protest against the death of Afshin Osanloo in Rajaee Shahr prison in Iran under dubious circumstances. Afshin Osanloo was a labour activist and political prisoner. He was subject to severe torture while in prison. Currently many labour activists in Iran are imprisoned under intolerable conditions and have gone through torture and cruel mistreatments.
   
  Demonstrations were called in July 2013 in different countries to protest against the death of Afshin Osanloo in Rajaee Shahr prison in Iran under dubious circumstances. Afshin Osanloo was a labour activist and political prisoner. He was subject to severe torture while in prison. Currently many labour activists in Iran are imprisoned under intolerable conditions and have gone through torture and cruel mistreatments.
 
Many labour and human rights’ organizations internationally, including Australian Services Union, CUPE Ontario, US Labour Against War, Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburb Bus Company, Free Union of Workers in Iran, Coordinating Committee to Help Form Workers’ Organizations…, condemned Afshin Osanloo’s death and called for the immediate and unconditional freedom of all labour activists and political prisoners in Iran and for the right to organize, assemble and freedom of association and expression as reflected in internationally recognized human rights and labour standards.
 
Afshin Osanloo who was only 42; he was a labour activist and political prisoner. Prison authorities claim that Afshin Osanloo suffered a heart attack on June 20, 2013 in notorious Rajai-Shahr Prison in the City of Karaj.  However, his family and cellmates have said that he had no previous hearth problems. Afshin was subject to severe torture during his incarceration since December 2010. 

A group of prominent labour activists and political prisoners from Evin Prison in Tehran, including Reza Shahabi, wrote on June 24, 2013 that “Afshin Osanloo’s death is only the latest episode of an extended series of political prisoners’ deaths, including Akbar Mohamadi, Amir Heshmat Saran, Zahra Bani Yaghoub, Omid Mirsiafi, Hoda Saber, Mohesn Dokmeh Chi, Satar Beheshti and many more”. This indicates that the Iranian government is pursuing, among other repressive policies and practices, a strategy of slow and gradual death towards political prisoners, by making them subject to severe torture, medical neglect and gross mistreatments by prison authorities.

It is important to emphasize that the persecution of labour activists and gross violation of workers’ and human rights in Islamic Republic of Iran continue incessantly. We continue to witness labour activists brutally persecuted and unjustly incarcerated based on totally false charges. In particular, we are seriously concerned about the health and well being of many of these prisoners of conscious who are in need of immediate medical care Like Reza Shahabi and Mohammad Jarahi, and Behnam Ebrahimzadeh whose son is presently fighting cancer

IASWI holds the Islamic Republic of Iran accountable for the death and suffering of political prisoners in Iran. We have called for an independent international inquiry into the death of Afshin Osanloo and the conditions of imprisoned labour and political activists in Iran. We demand an immediate end to all executions, torture and mistreatment of labour activists and all political prisoners and immediate and unconditional freedom for all political prisoners in Iran. We call for the recognition of the right for workers to organize, assemble and freedom of association and expression. We call for an immediate freedom of Reza Shahabi, Shahrokh Zamani, Mohammad Jarahi, Behhnam Ebrahimzadeh, Pedram Nasrollahi, Rasoul Bodaghi and other imprisoned labour activists in Iran.himzadeh, Pedram Nasrollahi, Rasoul Bodaghi and other imprisoned labour activists in Iran.

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