Free Mahmoud Salehi!
Latest Updates as of April 04, 2008!
On April 3, 2008, the city of Sanadaj’s justice department issued an indictment against Mahmoud Salehi and the Sanadaj’s revolutionary court is expected to pass its verdict soon. The prosecutor of Sanandaj as well as the intelligence ministry are charging Mahmoud with sending solidarity messages, while in jail, to leftist students as well as to labour struggles and protests, including his message in relation to international campaign to free Osanloo and Salehi. Mahmoud’s final defence statement has been given; it is not yet clear what the verdict could be. Mahmoud’s one year jail sentence has been finished as of March 23, 2008 but he is still detained. Although it’s ended now, his hunger-strike has deteriorated his heath noticeably. On April 2, 2008, the Sanandaj’s court informed Salehi’s family that if they paid 40 million toman (about US$43000) bail they would release Salehi. Mahmoud’s family had prepared to pay the bail but the deputy prosecutor of Sanandaj stopped Mahmoud’s release without any legal justification. Mahmoud’s lawyer has called his re-arrest as being totally illegal.
More updates to follow shortly.
For more info: IASWI: Email: [email protected] / www.workers-iran.org
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Act NOW!
Iran: Release jailed workers, respect rights
http://www.labourstart.org/iran
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Construction Forestry Mining & Energy Union
Construction & General Division
New South Wales Branch
2nd April 2008
Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei
The Office of the Supreme Leader
Islamic Republic Street
Shahid Keshvar Doust Street
Tehran, Iran
Email: [email protected]
Mr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,
President of the Islamic Republic of Iran
The Presidency,
Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection,
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: 0011 98 21 649 58 80
Email: [email protected]
Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi
Office of the Head of the Judiciary
Pasteur St.,Vali Asr Ave.,
south of Serah-e Jomhouri,
Tehran, Iran
Iran
Email: [email protected]
Your Excellencies,
Further to our letter of 6th February 2008, we now understand that Mr Mamoud Salehi, who is facing new charges and temporary arrest while still in prison, had commenced a hunger strike on 17 March 2008, following his removal from Sanandaj Prison.
I am respectfully writing this letter, on behalf of the Construction Forestry Mining & Energy Union, NSW Construction Branch, to strongly condemn the re-arresting Mr Salehi, who was due for release on Farvardin 4th, 1387 (March 23, 2008).
This trade union represents over 28,000 construction workers in the construction sector in New South Wales, Australia. The Branch takes an active interest in all matters to do with human rights across the world. We wish to express our deep and serious concerns regarding the health and well-being of Mr. Salehi. We are also still deeply concerned about the continued well-being of Mansur Osaanlou and Ebraahim Madadi, as advised to you in our letter of November last year.
We are told that your government still refuses to recognize freedom of association and the right to organize and has systematically repressed all independent activities of workers and students.
This trade union Branch is therefore calling on your government to recognize workers’ internationally-recognised rights to organise free and independent labour organisations, to allow the right to strike, as well as the just and fair democratic right of all students to protest.
The CFMEU demands an immediate compliance by the Islamic Republic in Iran with political and social freedom and an immediate end of political and social repression in Iran.
This trade union Branch asks you to immediately release Mahmoud Salehi, Mansour Osanloo and Ebrahim Madadi unconditionally, as they are prisoners of conscience, detained solely for their labour activities.
The CFMEU also requests that all repressions and charges and sentences against all students and other labour activists, including members of Vahed syndicate and Unemployed Workers’ Union and Haft Tapeh Workers, and the recently arrested students as listed, be dropped immediately, unequivocally, and permanently:
Milad Moyini (Mazandaran University)
Behrang Zandi (Mazandaran University)
Hamed Mohammadi (Mazandaran University)
Arash Pakzad (Mazandaran University)
Hasan Maarefi (Mazandaran University)
Anooshe Azadfar (Tehran University)
Ilnaz Jamshidi (Communications, Azad University, Central Tehran)
Mehdi Gerayloo (Geophysics, Tehran)
Nader Ehsani (Mazandaran University)
Sayid Habibi (ex-member of the Central Council of Advare Tahkime Vahdat)
Behrooz Karimi-zade (Tehran University)
Keyvan Amiri Elyasi (Masters, Industry, Sharif Technical University)
Nasim Soltan Beygi (Communications faculty, Allameh University)
Ali Salem (Masters of Polymers – Polytechnic University)
Mohsen Ghamin (Polytechnic University)
Roozbeh Saf-Shekan (Tehran University)
Roozbehan Amiri (Computer Science, Tehran University)
Yaser Pir Hayati (Shahed University)
Mahsa Mohebbi - Okhtay Hosseni (Azad University)
Sayid Agham Ali Khalili (Allameh University)
Behzad Bagheri (Tehran University)
Ali Kalayi
Amir Mehrzad
Hadi Salari (Rajaee University)
Farshid Farhadi Ahangaran (Rajaee University)
Amir Aghayi (Rajaee University)
Milad Omrani
Soroosh Hashempoor (Chamran University)
Yoones Mirhossein (Student of Shiraz University)
Parsa Kermanjian (Kermanshah University)
Abed Tavanche 33- Reza Arab (Mazandaran University)
Sadra Pirhayaty(Shahed University)
Peyman Piran
Majid Ashrafnejad (Rajaee University)
Shovan Merikhi (Mazandaran University)
Sara Khademi (Mazandaran University)
Nima Nahvi (Mazandaran University)
Mohammad Saleh Ayuman (Tehran Univercity)
Sohrab Karimi (Tehran Univercity)
Farshad Dustipoor (Tehran Univercity)
Javad Alizadeh (Tehran Univercity)
Yours sincerely,
PETER MCCLELLAND
State President
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You can also use the following updated sample letter:
Mr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,
President of the Islamic Republic of Iran
The Presidency,
Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection,
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: + 98 21 649 58 80
Email: [email protected]
I am writing this letter to express my outrage over new charges against Mahmoud Salehi, who has been in Sanadaj’s central prison since April 9, 2007. Mr. Salehi, a founding member and the former President of the Bakery Workers’ Association of the city of Saqez and a well-known labour activist in Iran, has been sentenced unjustly to one year imprisonment and a three year suspended prison sentence for his labour activities.
On Monday, March 17, 2008, the judiciary authorities in Sanadaj charged Mahmoud with connecting with outside prison and sending solidarity messages to progressive students and other prisoners. They put Mahmoud under temporary arrest while he was supposed to be released from prison on March 23, 2008. In protest to this unjust order, Mahmoud Salehi was on hunger strike for about two weeks. It’s very important to emphasize that Mr. Salehi is currently suffering from a life-threatening kidney disease. He only has one kidney, and that kidney is functioning at about only 10 percent of capacity.
On April 2, 2008, the Sanandaj’s court informed Salehi’s family that if they paid 40 million toman (about US$43000) bail they would release Salehi. Mahmoud’s family had prepared to pay the bail but the deputy prosecutor of Sandaj stopped Mahmoud’s release without any legal justification. Mahmoud’s lawyer has called his re-arrest as being totally illegal.
I am writing this to condemn this outrageous action on the part of your government and calling on you to release Mahmoud Salehi immediately and unconditionally as he is a prisoner of conscience, detained solely for the peaceful exercise of organizing the 2004 May Day demonstration and his right to freedom of expression and association in connection with his labour rights activities. I also demand that Mansour Osanloo as well as all other labour and student activists are released immediately and unconditionally.
Name
Organization
position
Send Copy of your Protest Letters to:
Leader of the Islamic Republic:
Ayatollah Sayed *Ali Khamenei
The Office of the Supreme Leader
Shoahada Street
Qom, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: [email protected] OR [email protected]
Fax: 011 98 251 7774 2228
Head of the Judiciary:
Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi
Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Justice Building
Panzdah-Khordad Square
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Fax: 011 98 21 3390 4986 (may be difficult to reach)
Email: [email protected]
Ambassador, Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of
Iran to the United Nations Institutions in Geneva, Chemin du Petit-Saconnex 28,
1209 Geneva, Switzerland, Fax: +41 22 733 02 03, E-mail: [email protected]
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You can access all Amnesty International publications featuring Mahmoud Salehi by accessing:
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For more information, contact [email protected] or [email protected].
International Alliance in Support of Workers in Iran
Background Information: www.workers-iran.org