|
|
The
letter below signed by RMT General Secretary, Bob Crow and Unite the Union General
Secretary, Len McCluskey, as well as the Assistant General Secretary of the
Irish Congress of Trade Unions, Peter Bunting has been sent on December 11,
2010 to The Times newspaper in London. It is a statement of support for
Reza Shahabi who is on hunger strike since December 4th and other workers
presently imprisoned in Iran.
Subject: Urgent appeal for the release of imprisoned trade unionists in
Iran
Sir,
Your dramatic coverage of the case of Ms Sakineh Ashtiani and other
flagrant human rights abuses in Iran ('No one is safe from the ruthless
regime', December 11) mentions the thousands of Iranians falsely imprisoned
and abused for 'thought crimes' in the past year. However, you fail to
mention the growing numbers of Iranian workers being incarcerated without
charge in some cases for the 'crime' of organising independent trade
unions.
Imprisoned trade union leader, Reza Shahabi is the treasurer of the
independent and unrecognised Tehran bus workers' trade union, Sherkat-e
Vahed. He was arrested on 12 June 2010 and has been on hunger strike since
4 December in protest at his continuing detention. We are calling on the
authorities in Iran to release him immediately.
His colleagues Gholamreza Gholamhosseini, Morteza Komsari and Ali Akbar
Nazari have all been arrested since the beginning of November and we
believe they are all prisoners of conscience, held solely on account of
their peaceful trade union activities.
Mansour Ossanlu, the head of the union and his deputy, Ebrahim Maddadi, are
already serving prison sentences. They must be immediately and
unconditionally released.
Peter Bunting
Assistant General Secretary,
Irish Congress of Trade Unions
Northern Ireland Committee
4-6 Donegall Street Place
Belfast BT1 2FN,
Northern Ireland
email: [email protected]
Bob Crow
General Secretary,
National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers
Unity House
39 Chalton Street,
London NW1 1JD
email: [email protected]
Len McCluskey
General Secretary,
Unite the Union
128 Theobald's Road
Holborn
London WC1X 8TN
|
|
