· The judiciary sentenced 4 labour activists, members of Tehran Bus Workers’ Syndicate

· Afshin Shams put on trial

________________________________________________________

The judiciary sentenced 4 labour activists, members of Tehran Bus Workers’ Syndicate

ILNA news agency and the Tehran Bus Workers’ Syndicate report that four activists of the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Vahed Bus Company were sentenced from 6 to 14 months suspended prison sentences. They are Atta Baba-khani, Saeed Torabian, Yaghoub Salimi and Alizad Hosseini. These labour activists had previously been arrested following a job action in winter 2006 and were later released on bail. They have been charged with “propaganda against the system and taking action against national security”. The syndicate’s lawyer, Mr. Parviz Khorshid, has denied all these charges and stated that they will appeal all of them as these labour activists were only engaged in legitimate trade union activities.   The syndicate’s president of the board, Mansoor Osanloo, is still in jail serving a five-year term.

Afshin Shams put on trial

Mr. Afshani Shams who is a labour activist and a member of the Coordinating Committee to Help Form Workers’ Organizations in Iran was put on trial in City of Isfahan on Ocotber 21, 2008. Mr. Mohammad Sharif represented Afshin Shams ass his lawyer. Mr. Sharif requested a release on bail for Afshain but the judge refused that and informed that they would finalize the case against Afshin in about 15 days.  ______________________________________________________________________

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

International Alliance in Support of Workers in Iran (IASWI)

Background Information: www.workers-iran.org