Thanks to all organizations and thousands of concerned individuals that have responded swiftly to the most recent campaigns in condemnation of whipping sentences, jail terms and death sentences against labour activists in Iran. The LabourStart campaign launched on August 14th, 2008 has received overwhelming support from activists around the world.
Please continue with your protest letters and other appropriate measures to put pressure on the Iranian government to release all jailed workers and withdraw all charges and sentences.
According to the copy of the verdict issued by the criminal court of Sanandaj – branch 101, resided by Mr. Yarijani, MS. Sousan Razani has actually been sentenced to 70 lashes and 9 months imprisonment, which is a much harsher punishment than the original report of 15 lashes.
Today, we are campaigning for the rights and freedoms of the following activists.
- Sousan Razani, 36 years old, a resident of the city of Sandandaj, sentenced to 9 months imprisonment and 70 lashes, for participation in the 2008 May Day rally in Sanandaj; charged with “the breach of public order- participation in an illegal assembly in front of the Social Security building”.
- Shiva Kheirabadi, 25 years old, a resident of the city of Sanandaj, sentenced to 4 months imprisonment and 15 lashes, for participation in the 2008 May Day rally in Sanandaj; charged with the “breach of public order- participation in an illegal assembly in front of the Social Security building”.
- Seyed Qaleb Hosseini, 46 years old, a resident of the city of Sanandaj, was sentenced to 6 months imprisonment and 50 lashes, for participation in the 2008 May Day rally in Sanandaj; charged with the breach of public order- participation in an illegal assembly in front of the Social Security building.
- Abdullah Khani, 49 years old, a resident of the city of Sanandaj, sentenced to 91 days prison and 40 lashes, for participation at the 2008 May Day rally in Sanandaj; charged with the “breach of public order- participation in an illegal assembly in front of the Social Security building”.
- Seyed Khaled Hosseini, 49 years old, a resident of the city of Sanandaj : sentenced to three months and one additional day in jail and 30 lashes- sentences suspended for two years; charged with the “breach of public order”- participation in a rally outside Sanandaj prison in support of Mahmoud Salehi on March 23, 2008.
- Afshin Shams, a labour activist, a member of “Coordinating Committee to Help Form Workers’ organizations”, a member of “Committee in Dense of Mahmoud Salehi” and also a member of ”Caricaturist Society”; incarcerated since July 04, 2008 without trial.
- Farzad Kamangar is a 33 year old teacher, journalist and a human rights activist from Kurdistan, Iran. Farzad Kamangar has been sentenced to death, found guilty of “risking national security and being a member of the Kurdistan Workers Party”. Mr. Kamangar has been subjected to brutal torture and lengthy imprisonment.
- Mansour Osanloo, President of the board of directors of the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company. Mr. Osanloo has been jailed numerous times. The last time, he was abducted on July 10, 2007 and later was transferred to the Evin Prison and never released since. He has been sentenced to 5 years imprisonment. There have been numerous international campaigns for his freedom.
http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/solidarityforever/show_campaign.cgi?c=416
Link to Peter Tatchell Guardian article on
the repression of labour activists in Iran:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/aug/18/iran.middleeast
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