Salehi’s Health Conditions Worsens!

On April 23, 2007, Mahmoud Salehi’s wife, Najibeh Salehzadeh, and his lawyer, Mohammad Sharif, were able to visit Salehi at the Sanandaj Central Prison. Najibeh has expressed serious concerns about Salehi’s health conditions and reported that he had been taken to the prison’s hospital for treatment on Sunday.

Mohammad Sharif reported that, he was able to get permission from the judicial authorities to see his client. Prior to his visit, Sharif met with the prosecutor’s office to discuss concerns regarding the transfer of Salehi to Sanandaj Prison even though according to the law he was not supposed to be transferred to any other location. Sharif has requested the authorities to send back Salehi to Saqez. Sharif added that his client has serious kidney problems and he has been transferred to the prison’s hospital due to drop in blood pressure and this is potentially the beginning of further problems.

Salehi has openly expressed concerns about the conditions of the Sanandaj prison. For instance, in section 7 of the prison where he is detained there are about 120 prisoners with only 60 beds. Taking shower is possible maximum once a week and there is no access to drinking water and washrooms between 11 pm and 7 am, which is very hard for Salehi because he needs water therapy and that requires him to use washroom frequently. As the result he is in severe pain at nights. 

Sharif also reported that in Sanandaj Prison there are no classifications of prisoners according to the crime allegedly committed, yet other prisoners appreciate Salehi’s circumstances and take into consideration his health conditions. Finally Sharif stressed that he has not yet received the verdict against Salehi.

In other news from the City of Saqez, it is reported that those arrested on April 16^th in Saqez following a demonstration in support of Salehi have now been released.

Thanks to all labour and social activists, unions and international labour organizations who have supported Salehi thus far, please continue with your pressures on the Iranian government to release Salehi immediately.

Please join thousands of others to tell the Iranian government authorities to release Mahmoud Salehi now, and to drop all charges.  Send off your message by clicking here:
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Iran: Free Mahmoud Salehi now

On April 9, 2007, a commanding officer of the Saqez security forces appeared at Mahmoud Salehi's work and asked him to attend at the office of the prosecutor to negotiate with the governor and the prosecutor about this year's celebration of the international workers' day, which was being organized by Salehi and his colleagues. However, in the prosecutor's office, Salehi, the former President of the Bakery Workers' Association of the City of Saqez and a well-known labour activist in Iran, was told that the Kurdistan Appeal Court has reached the final verdict on his May Day 2004 case and that he has been sentenced to one year imprisonment and a three year suspended prison sentence. They immediately put Salehi under arrest. Salehi objected to the deceitful and illegal way in which his arrest took place and refused to sign the order. After that Salehi was taken immediately to the Sanandaj Central Prison. This way, the government authorities did not allow Salehi to contact his family, lawyer and colleagues, and he was not even allowed to take his medications with him. Salehi has major kidney problems, as one of his kidneys has stopped working and the other one is almost failing and without medications and continuous treatment his life would be endangered. Thus far, the verdict of the appeal court has not been handed down to Salehi's lawyers.

Mahmoud Salehi along with Jalal Hosseini, Mohsen Hakimi, Borhan Divargar, Mohammad Abdipoor, Esmail Khodkam and Hadi Tanomand and about 40 other workers were arrested on May 1st 2004 at the beginning of a rally in commemoration of the International Workers' Day in the City of Saqez, Kurdistan Province. The above labour activists, internationally known as the Saqez Seven, went on hunger strike while in custody until they were released on heavy bail on May 12, 2004. While three of the above seven have since been acquitted, the remaining four continued to face numerous trials. The Saqez Revolutionary Court had previously sentenced Salehi to 4 years imprisonment, while Hosseini, Hakimi and Divargar were each sentenced to two years jail. The Kurdistan Court of Appeal's final verdict changed Salehi's to one year immediate imprisonment and three years suspended sentence. The appeal court also confirmed the two years imprisonment of Hosseini, Hakimi and Divargar, but those sentences were suspended for three years, which means that they are free now but if they commit any 'illegal' acts during the next three years they would then have to face trials for that particular 'illegal' act and will also have to serve their two years suspended jail sentence.

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Type in your message here - or just use the existing message. I am writing this to condemn the verdict passed against Mahmoud Salehi, the former president of the Bakery Workers' Association of the city of Saqez and a well known labour activist in Iran, by the Kurdistan Province Court of Appeal. Mr. Salehi was arrested on April 9, 2007, at the Saqez City prosecutor's office, before an official verdict had been handed down following appeal hearings, and was immediately transferred to the city of Sanandaj Central Prison. The Kurdistan Court of Appeal has sentenced Salehi to one year imprisonment and a three year suspended prison sentence. It is very clear that Salehi has been sentenced for his labour activities, particularly given the fact that the initial arrests and the final charges were made in connection with his attempts to organize and participate in a May Day 2004 celebration in Saqez. I am outraged at this unjust verdict which shows that your government has violated the fundamental human and workers' rights, such as freedom of association and the right to celebrate the International Workers' Day. I urge you to put an end to all the sentences passed against Mahmoud Salehi and release him immediately and unconditionally. If you would like to receive future urgent action alerts from us, please check this box: Your message will be sent to the following email addresses: : [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]