ICFTU ONLINE... Labour Day arrests in Iran: ICFTU lodges formal complaint at ILO 3/5/2004 Brussels 3 May 2004 (ICFTU Online): Following the arrests of 40 workers during a Labour Day march in Saqez, in Iran’s Kurdistan Province, on Saturday 1st May 2004, the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) has lodged a formal complaint with the UN’s International Labour Office on Sunday 2 May. It has also requested that the ILO intervene urgently with Tehran’s authorities to obtain the release of those arrested. According to the ICFTU, hundreds of workers and their families had staged a peaceful rally and march in the City of Saqez (Kurdistan province), in order to celebrate Labour Day. The event was organized by "the First of May Council", an organisation of workers’ in Saqez, consisting of labour activists acting independently from government-controlled structures. At about 5:00 p.m., the marchers were attacked by the Government’s security forces, including plain clothes’ agents of the security service. Over 40 participants were reportedly detained and taken into custody. Among those arrested were Mr. Mahmoud Salehi, a well-known labour leader who has previously been arrested and imprisoned for 10 months in 2001, Jalal Hosseini, a local labour leader and Mohsen Hakimi, a well-known activist and a member of the Iranian Writers' Association. The security forces subsequently raided Mahmoud Salehi's home and his computer and documents were confiscated. Families of the arrested workers and other citizens are said to have gathered outside the Security Ministry's offices to demand the release of all those arrested.     From left to right, Mohsen Hakimi, member of Iranian Writers' Association, P. Haridasan, ICFTU APRO, Mahmoud Salehi and Anna Biondi from ICFTU Geneva.(Photo: ICFTU) “ The ICFTU is particularly worried by the fact that two days before their arrest Salehi and Hakimi had met with an ICFTU mission which visited Iran earlier this week. The mission had been closely monitored by the security service. The ICFTU believes that the search of Mr. Salehi’s house and confiscation of his computer are directly related to his contacts with the ICFTU. The ICFTU has filed this information as additional information to its formal complaint against Iran concerning the killing of four striking workers in the city of Babak, lodged earlier this year with the ILO’s Committee on Freedom of Association (case 2323 of the Committee). The ICFTU represents over 150 million workers in 233 affiliated organisations in 152 countries and territories. ICFTU is also a member of Global Unions: http://www.global-unions.org For more information, please contact the ICFTU Press Department on +32 2 224 0206 or +32 476 621 018.