Protest against the new wave of repression against labour activists in Iran!

December 27, 2008: According to a news release issued by the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, Mr. Ebrahinm Madadi, the Vice-President of the board of directors of this Syndicate, was arrested on Saturday, December 27, 2008 at 2:00 PM in Tehran. Mr. Madadi was arrested by plain clothes security agents while he was at the North Branch of the Employment Office for a meeting with the Disputes Board. There is no news on Madadi’s whereabouts and according to his lawyer, Mr. Parviz Khordshid, it is not clear what his charges are.

Clearly, it is not a happy New Year for labour activists in Iran. Since last week, a number of labour atavists in Iran have been arrested including Mohsen Hakimi and Bijan Amiri (see below). In addition, On December 24, 2008, security forces and plain clothes agents raided the parental home of Mr. Pedram Nasrolahi, who is a member of the Coordinating Committee to Help Form Workers’ Organizations in Kurdistan, and arrested Pedram. It is also reported that Mr. Bakhtiar Rahimi, who is also a labour activist in Iran’s Kurdistan, was arrested on December 23, 2008.

Sample Protest Letter

I am writing to strongly protest against a new wave of arrests and repression of labour activists in Iran. According to the latest news, the current labour activists who are known to be in jails across Iran are as follows:

- Mr. Mansour Osanloo, the president of the board of directors of the Syndicate of Tehran and Suburb Bus Company, sentenced to five years imprisonment, incarcerated since July 2007.  Mansour Osanloo was kidnapped by plain clothes agents in the evening of Tuesday, July 10, 2007.  Osanloo has been beaten numerous times by security forces. He has some serious health problems.

- Mr. Afshin Shams, a member of “Coordinating Committee to Help Form Workers’ organizations”, a member of the “Committee in Defence of Mahmoud Salehi” and a member of ”Caricaturists. He was arrested at his work in city of Aligoodarz on July on July 3, 2008 and later was transferred to Dastgerd prison in Isfahan. On November 1, 2008, he was November 1, 2008. Afshan Shams received his verdict from the court according which he has been sentenced to one year imprisonment. The verdict was given without the presence of Afshin’s lawyer.

- Mr. Farzad Kamangar, a 33 year old teacher and union and human rights activist from Kurdistan province. He has been sentenced to death by the Iranian government and has been severely tortured.  Despite international protests his execution sentence has not been revoked. For more info please refer o the http://www.labourstart.org/farzad

- Mr. Mohsen Hakimi, a member of the Coordinating Committee to Form Workers’ Organization and a member of the Iranian Writers’ Association, was arrested by the plain-clothes security agents near midnight on December 22, 2008 in Tehran. According to the latest news, he is incarcerated in section 209 of the Evin Prison.

Mr. Bijan Amiri, who is an auto worker and a member of workers’ mountain-climbing board, was arrested by the Iran Khodro Company’s security forces on December 22, 2008 in the factory.  According to the latest news, he is incarcerated in section 209 of the Evin Prison.

Mr. Ebrahim Madadi, the vice-president of the board of directors of the Syndicate of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company. Mr. Madadi has been arrested a number of times before. The latest arrest took place in the North Branch of the Employment office in Tehran on December 27, 2008. The exact location of his detention has not yet been announced.

Mr. Pedram Nasrolahi, who is a member of the Coordinating Committee to Help Form Workers’ Organizations in Kurdistan, arrested on December 24, 2008.

Mr. Bakhtiar Rahimi, a labour activist in Kurdistan was arrested on Decemner 23, 2008. Mr. Rahimi had been previously incarcerated and released after a few months.  

In addition, many labour activists in Iran are under suspended sentences or await trials and are suspended or expelled from their workplace as the result of their labour activities, including many member of the Vahed Syndicate in Tehran as well as five leaders of the Syndicate of Haft Tapeh Sugar Cane Company Workers’ Syndicate who were put on trial on December 20, 2008 and now await their verdict.  

Therefore, I condemn all these arrests and repression of labour activists and organizations in Iran and demand the immediate and unconditional freedom of all incarcerated workers. I also ask the Iranian government to respect workers’ rights to organize, assemble and strike, put an end to persecution of labour activists and not to interfere in the affairs of independent workers’ organizations.

Name

Organization

Position

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Free Mohesn Hakimi and Bijan Amiri!

According to various reports from Iran, including statements issued by The Coordinating Committee to Form Workers’ Organization, Mr. Mohsen Hakimi, a member of the aforementioned committee and a member of the Iranian Writers’ Association, was arrested by the plain-cloths security agents near midnight on December 22, 2008. Also, Mr. Bijan Amiri, who is an auto worker and a member of workers’ mountain-climbing board, was arrested on December 22, 2008 in Iran Khodro factory by the security forces. Mr. Hakimi was arrested at Mr. Amiri’s residence the same night after he had gone for a visit along with his wife to Amiri’s residence following the news of Mr. Amiri’s arrest. Security forces brought back Mr. Amiri back to his home that night, and then they searched the house and arrested Mr. Hakimi as well without any arrest warrants. Mr. Hakimi protested against these actions but nevertheless he was taken to an unknown location along with Mr. Amiri. After going to the court, their families have been told to come back in a week to find out about the charges as they are being investigated and interrogated at this time.  Mohsen Hakimi had been arrested a number of times before as the result of his labour activities.

We condemn this repressive act of the Iranian government and demand Mohsen Hakimi’s and Bijan Amiri’s immediate and unconditional release.

International Relations, International Alliance in Support of Workers in Iran

December 24, 2008

Send protest letters to:

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President
Islamic Republic of Iran
Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: [email protected]

Ayatollah Sayed 'Ali Khamenei
Leader of the Islamic Republic
The Office of the Supreme Leader
Islamic Republic Street -
Shahid Keshvar Doust Street,
Tehran
Islamic Republic of Iran
E-mail: [email protected]
Fax: +98-21 649 5880

For more information, contact [email protected] or [email protected]

International Alliance in Support of Workers in Iran (IASWI)

www.workers-iran.org