INTERNATIONAL LABOUR IRAN:
SAVE ABDOLREZA GHANBARI:

Abdolreza Ghanbari is an Iranian university professor who has been sentenced to death by the regime basically for the "crime" of receiving unsolicited political emails. Here is his story and appeal for solidarity from the online labour solidarity site Labour Start.
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Iran: Stop the execution of Abdolreza Ghanbari


In partnership with the Education International, the world’s largest federation of unions, representing thirty million education employees in about four hundred organisations in one hundred and seventy countries and territories, across the globe.



Abdolreza Ghanbari, a 44-year-old lecturer of Payam e Nour University, was arrested at his home in Pakdasht on 4 January 2010. He was charged with Moharebeh (enmity towards God) for receiving unsolicited emails from an armed opposition group, to which he does not belong. While in detention at the notorious Evin Prison, Prof. Ghanbari was interrogated for 25 days in a row and forced to confess under duress to unproven charges. Nasrin Sotoudeh was his lawyer until he was himself condemned to a six year sentence in Evin prison for "propaganda against the regime" and "acting against national security". In 2007, Prof. Ghanbari had already been detained for 120 days and sentenced to a six-month suspension from teaching and exiled from Sari to Pakdasht. Prof. Ghanbari has no known political connections. He was previously involved in teacher union activities until his union ITTA was dissolved in 2007. Prof. Ghanbari's death sentence has been confirmed by Tehran's Appeal Court, Branch 36 in April 2010. He has since been waiting on death row. A request for pardon was rejected on February 28 by the Commission of Justice in Tehran. It means that authorities are allowed to proceed with the execution. The Education International calls on the Iranian authorities to stay the execution of Prof. Abdolreza Ghanbari and revoke the death sentence; to drop all charges against all detained trade unionists and release them immediately; to comply with the international labour standards and respect the rights of Iranian workers to freedom of association, assembly and expression.

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THE LETTER

Please go to this link to send the following letter to Iranian authorities.

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Your Excellency,

I am writing to you to condemn the death sentence pronounced against Prof. Abdolreza Ghanbari, a university lecturer. I urge the authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran to immediately stay his execution. Abdolreza Ghanbari was arrested at his home in Pakdasht on 4 January 2010. While in detention at the Evin Prison, Prof. Ghanbari was interrogated for 25 days in a row and forced to confess under duress to unproven charges. He has been sentenced to death for "enmity towards God". His death sentence has been confirmed by Tehran's Appeal Court, Branch 36 in April 2010. A request for pardon was rejected on February 28 by the Commission of Justice in Tehran. I urge the Iranian authorities to:
- Stay the execution of Prof. Abdolreza Ghanbari and revoke the death sentence;
- Drop all charges against all detained trade unionists and release them immediately;
- Compensate the individuals for the damages suffered as result of detentions;
- Register the Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations (CCITTA) and allow it to hold trade union activities and reach out to members;
- Stop the harassment and repression against teachers, unionists and human rights defenders;
- Comply with the international labour standards and respect the rights of Iranian workers to freedom of association, assembly and expression;
- Engage in a peaceful dialogue regarding the professional concerns of teachers in Iran.
I look forward to hearing about your positive intervention on this very serious matter.

INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS IRAN:

STOP THE EXECUTIONS IN IRAN:


The following appeal for political prisoners in Iran comes from the Support Workers' Councils In Iran group.
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We must stop IRI's vicious wave of executions. Sign the declaration
As you might know, the Islamic Republic has started a vicious wave of executions since two weeks ago against the worker activists, political prisoners and general public. We must stop it before it goes too far.

Currently available in English, Spanish, German, Farsi, Italian, and Dutch, please take a moment to sign the following declaration in defence of political prisoners and those on death roll in Iran.
_______________________
Sign at: http://www.facebook.com/l/adaa6DLG6Uaan5Dq0FjCbJYHXrg;stopstonningnow.com/united
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Defend Political Prisoners; Protest Against Executions

To subdue the angry people of Iran, who are on the verge of revolt, the Islamic regime of Iran has intensified the execution of political prisoners and is day after day announcing list of executions.

Recent successful protest in the city of Sanandaj backed by international outrage and campaign forced the Islamic regime to call off the execution of Habibolah Latifi. However the regime immediately executed two other prisoners, Ali Saremi and Ali Akbar Siyadat.

Millions are rightly outraged by these atrocities; it is important that the international campaign is coordinated and unified; We, the undersigned, therefore join this international protest and

1. Support the international campaign in support of the people of Iran to bring an end to executions and immediate release of all political prisoners. Capital punishment is an inhumane and must be ended.

2. Demand revoking of all execution orders;

3. Demand that all political prisoners, including students, worker activists, woman rights activists or anyone who has been imprisoned for their religious or non-religious views or sexuality are released immediately. Freedom of expression is a basic human right.

4. We condemn any appeasement of this regime and demand that all governments condemn these atrocities; break all diplomatic and political relations with the regime of Iran.

___________________
Sign at: http://www.facebook.com/l/adaa6DLG6Uaan5Dq0FjCbJYHXrg;stopstonningnow.com/united
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INTERNATIONAL LABOUR IRAN:

RELEASE REZA SHAHABI:

The following appeal is from the UK branch of Amnesty International, It came to Molly's attention via the online labour solidarity site Labour Start, though many other unions across the world have also featured this case. The person in question was one of the organizers of the Tehran Bus Drivers' Union, and in the theocracy that governs the country of Iran independent unions are a big no-no. The individual in question has been in detention since last summer, and he has now begun a hunger strike demanding his release as he is innocent of any real "crime". Here's the story....

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Imprisoned trade unionist on hunger strike

Imprisoned trade union leader, Reza Shahabi, has been on hunger strike since 4 December in protest at his continuing detention. We are calling on the authorities in Iran to release him immediately.

Reza Shahabi is the treasurer of the independent and unrecognised trade union, Sherkat-e Vahed. He was arrested on 12 June 2010, three days after the arrest of Saeed Torabian, the unions spokesperson.


Union members arrested
Saeed Torabian has since been release but there are six other members of Sherkat-e Vahed (the Union of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company) in prison.

Gholamreza Gholamhosseini, Morteza Komsari and Ali Akbar Nazari have all been arrested since the beginning of November and we believe they are all prisoners of conscience, held solely on account of their peaceful trade union activities.


Prisoners of conscience
Mansour Ossanlu, the head of the union and his deputy, Ebrahim Maddadi, are already serving prison sentences. They must be immediately and unconditionally released.

Sherkat-e Vahed was banned after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, but workers resumed the union's activities in 2004, although it is not legally recognised.

History of harassment
On 22 December 2005, police arrested 12 of the unions leaders at their homes but quickly released four of them. Other members were arrested three days later after they went on strike to call for the release of their colleagues. Saeed Torabian was among those arrested and spent a month in custody. Hundreds more were arrested during a further strike in January 2006.

Along with Reza Shahabi, Saeed Torabian was suspended from work, without pay, for approximately four years following the strikes. They were eventually reinstated only after the Court of Administrative Justice investigated their case.

Leadership imprisoned
Mansour Ossanlu was already serving a five year sentence in Rejai Shahr Prison, in Karaj near Tehran, when he was convicted on fresh charges in August 2010 and given an extra year behind bars.

Ebrahim Madadi is currently serving a three-and-a-half-year sentence and has been held in Evin prison since 2008.

Trade unionists targeted
Other trade unionists have also been arrested or harassed recently, including members of the Haft Tapeh Sugar Cane Company Trade Union. The unions Leader, Reza Rakhshan, was recently sentenced to six months in prison for spreading lies, apparently in connection with an article he wrote entitle We are One Family, condemning arrests and harassment of his fellow workers.

Imprisoned trade union leader, Reza Shahabi, has been on hunger strike since 4 December in protest at his continuing detention. We are calling on the authorities in Iran to release him immediately.
Reza Shahabi is the treasurer of the independent and unrecognised trade union, Sherkat-e Vahed. He was arrested on 12 June 2010, three days after the arrest of Saeed Torabian, the unions spokesperson.

Union members arrestedSaeed Torabian has since been release but there are six other members of Sherkat-e Vahed (the Union of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company) in prison.
Gholamreza Gholamhosseini, Morteza Komsari and Ali Akbar Nazari have all been arrested since the beginning of November and we believe they are all prisoners of conscience, held solely on account of their peaceful trade union activities.

Prisoners of conscience Mansour Ossanlu, the head of the union and his deputy, Ebrahim Maddadi, are already serving prison sentences. They must be immediately and unconditionally released.

Please call on the Iranian authorities to release Reza Shahabi and all the other jailed trade unionists in Iran

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THE LETTER:
Please go to this link to send the following letter to the Iranian authorities about this case.
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I urge you to immediately release Reza Shahabi the Treasurer of Sherkat-e Vahed and union members Gholamreza Gholamhosseini, Morteza Komsari and Ali Akbar Nazari, who have been recently arrested.

They must be released if, as appears, they are being held solely for their peaceful trade union activities. Otherwise I call on you to bring them to trial promptly and fairly on recognisable criminal charges.

I call on you to ensure that those held are protected from torture or other ill-treatment and are granted immediate access to their families, to lawyers of their choice, and to adequate medical care.

I further urge you to release prisoners of conscience Mansour Ossanlu and Ebrahim Maddadi immediately and unconditionally.

I remind you of Iran’s obligations under International Labour Organisation Conventions and the ICCPR to allow the right to form and join independent trade unions and I call on you to cease the harassment of members of the Haft Tapeh Sugar Cane Company (HTSCC) Trade Union and of teacher trade unionists and to release those detained immediately and unconditionally.

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR IRAN:

LATEST ATTACKS ON IRANIAN SUGAR WORKERS - HOW YOU CAN HELP:

The following appeal for solidarity with imprisoned Iranian trade unionists comes originally from the Justice For Iranian Workers organization. In their appeal for help they are being assisted by the IUF. Here is the story and appeal.

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New attacks on Iranian sugar union – president, activists sentenced to prison
Urgent Action 03-12-2010
In the latest crackdown on Iran’s independent union at the giant cane growing and processing Haft Tapeh complex in the southern city of Shush, Executive Board President Reza Rakhshan was sentenced to 6 months in prison on December 1 by the Court of Appeal in the city of Ahvaz. The charge was “spreading lies” – the consequence of an article Rakhshan recently published entitled ‘Happy Birthday Sugarcane Workers!’

In the article, published on Farsi-language internet sites, Rakhshan wrote: “It is now two years since the union came into being – two bittersweet years.
“On the one hand, after much ebb and flow, five members of our executive – Fereidoun Nikoufard, Ali Nejati, Jalil Ahmadi, Ghorban Alipour, and Mohammad Heidari– were eventually sentenced by the Dezful Revolutionary Court to jail terms and transferred to prison after being fired from their jobs. Following several prison stints, I was, fired from my job over ten months ago.

“On the other hand, the establishment of the union has been something of an achievement for the other workers since the authorities have taken a sudden interest in the company’s affairs– after three years of continual neglect t– by virtue of the union’s mere existence. The result: the condition of workers and that of the Haft Tapeh Sugar Cane Company are in much better shape than before.”

He could have added that the fired union members have all been expelled from their homes and are blacklisted from employment throughout the region. And that improvements in the workers’ situation are the result of repeated strikes and other actions to claim huge wage arrears and protest deteriorating working conditions. The union was officially founded in June 2008 following a 42-day strike and is an IUF affiliate.

Every word that Rakhshan wrote is true – but in Iran speaking the truth can result in losing one’s job, expulsion from one’s home, imprisonment and torture.

On November 18, three Haft Tapeh members - Behrouz Nikoufard, Alireza Saeed, and Behrouz Molazadeh - were convicted and sentenced to 6 months in prison by the Ahwaz Court of Appeal on charges of “showing disrespect to the Supreme Leader”. They were all arrested in the general crackdown following election protests last year.

Over and above the daily repression which marks the dictatorship in Iran, the authorities are reinforcing security measures and cracking down on labour and human rights activists to preempt anticipated protests as they prepare to radically cut subsidies for fuel and basic foodstuffs. Last month another member of the Vahed union of Tehran bus workers was jailed, bringing to 5 the number of Vahed members in prison (updates at Justice for Iranian workers).

CLICK HERE to send a message to the Iranian state and judicial authorities demanding immediate and unconditional freedom for all Haft Tapeh members and their reinstatement in their jobs and homes. Your message will be conveyed to the Haft Tapeh workers.

Please note that some messages may bounce back - do not be discouraged! Server overload is a common condition in Iran - some messages will get through, making the point that the persecuted trade unionists enjoy international support. The Haft Tapeh union leaders and members are also supported by Amnesty International.

You can also send a message to the Iranian embassy or diplomatic representation in your country - or pay them a visit! A complete list of embassies/consulates is available here, and you can generally find e-mail addresses by searching the internet for the individual representation in your country.

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THE LETTER:

Please go to this link to send the following letter to the Iranian authorities.

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To His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed ‘Ali Khamenei, Leader of the Islamic Republic
To His Excellency Ayatollah Sadeqh Larijani, Head of Judiciary
To His Excellency Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President

Dear sirs

Your government continues to arrest, imprison and victimize members of the Haft Tapeh Sugar workers Union for democratic trade union activity which is protected under international law. President Reza Rakhshan was sentenced to 6 months in prison for “spreading lies” on December 1 by the Court of Appeal in the city of Ahvaz. On November 18, three Haft Tapeh members - Behrouz Nikoufard, Alireza Saeed, and Behrouz Molazadeh - were convicted and sentenced to 6 months in prison by the Ahwaz Court of Appeal on charges of “showing disrespect to the Supreme Leader”. Five Haft Tapeh officers convicted last year, Ali Nejati, Gorban Alipour, Mohammad Heidari, Jali Ahmadi and Feridun Nikfar have been fired from their jobs and expelled from their homes after having served their unjust sentences.

We call on your government to immediately and unconditionally drop all current and past charges against all Haft Tapeh officers and members and to have them reinstated to their jobs and their homes. I am closely following your government’s action in this regard.

Yours sincerely

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR IRAN:

FACEBOOK PAGE FOR IMPRISONED IRANIAN WORKERS:

The following brief announcement of a Facebook page to support Iranian workers jailed for their union activities is from the Support Workers' Councils In Iran group.

IWIWIWIWIWIW

A short ABC Workers msg!
A) A Facebook page has just launched in support of jailed workers in Iran. You might be interested to join as it will be updated regularly in English, French and Farsi
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Workers-in-Iran/161687717205109

You might want to follow its twitter acct at:
http://www.facebook.com/l/97291CiyB3ajUNZVYu2_8u6rpBQ;twitter.com/workersiniran

B) A reminder to sign and pass on the petition to free jailed workers at:

http://www.facebook.com/l/97291jmdCgxrFOQjjVeJgue7YZA;workersiniran.org/jworkers

C) You might be interested in this picture album of the Workers in Iran
http://www.facebook.com/l/97291Laj0qOrfYyMYctxK3e_ZJQ;abbasgoya.com/1259

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR IRAN:

ANOTHER ATTACK ON BUS WORKERS UNIONISTS IN TEHRAN:

The following story originally came from the International Transport Workers Federation. It came to Molly's attention via the Justice For Iranian Workers website.

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Another attack on Vahed Syndicate members

5 November 2010

The ITF has received news of yet another thuggish assault and detention of Vahed Syndicate members by Iranian police/security forces.

According to the ITF the attack took place on Wednesday in a Karaj internet café. Saeed Torabian, publicity director of the bus workers’ union – who has previously been arrested and then released following international protests – was with fellow trade unionist Gholamreza Gholamhosseini. Gholamhosseini was released on bail from Evin Prison two years ago, after being arrested while attending a Women’s Day event.

Shortly after their arrival six men entered and beat them up, yelling that they were thieves. They were then dragged out and taken to prison. After being interrogated, threatened and roughed up, Saeed Torabian was released on bail, but as yet nothing is known about Gholamreza Gholamhosseini – except that he is still being held.

The ITF considers these ‘arrests’ to be the latest in an ongoing campaign to break the Vahed union and notes that once again trumped up charges, threats and violence have been used to stifle normal, lawful trade union activity.


ENDS

For more information contact ITF press officer, Sam Dawson.
Direct line: + 44 (0)20 7940 9260.
Email: dawson_sam@itf.org.uk

International Transport Workers' Federation - ITF:
HEAD OFFICE
ITF House, 49 - 60 Borough Road, London SE1 1DS
Tel: + 44 (0) 20 7403 2733
Fax: + 44 (0) 20 7375 7871
Email: mail@itf.org.uk
Web: www.itfglobal.org

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR IRAN:

GLOBAL LABOUR CONDEMNS IMPRISONMENT OF IRANIAN WORKERS:

The following item is originally from the International Transport Worker Federation. It came to Molly's attention via the Justice For Iranian Workers site. Molly has mentioned the cases of these Iranian unionists several times before on this blog.

IWIWIWIWIW

Dear Friends,

The ITF has released the following press statement today.

ITF deplores continuing imprisonment of Shahabi, Osanloo and Madadi

29 October 2010

1. Commenting on the continuing imprisonment of members of the Vahed Syndicate, ITF Inland Transport Secretary Mac Urata said: “The injustice continues. There had been some hopes that the union’s treasurer, Reza Shahabi, might be released today, but they look like they will come to nothing - just like the regime’s empty promises to release Mansour Osanloo. We invite the Iranian government to prove us wrong and show that they can still do the decent thing and release these innocent workers.”

He continued: “We are reliably informed that Reza Shahabi is being heavily interrogated, despite reported health issues, and being denied legal advice and contact with his deeply worried family. His family have paid 60 million Toman (USD 60,000) in bail, but his release is still nowhere in sight.”

Reza Shahabi was arrested on 12 June this year without any charges being specified by the authorities. In August the ITF’s 42nd Congress in Mexico City unanimously adopted an emergency resolution to demand his and Mansour Osanloo and Ebrahim Madadi’s immediate release.

2. In the recent weeks, some transport unions including the Belgian BTB and the Dutch FNV Bondgenoten have given the status of honorary membership to Osanloo and other detained leaders of the union.

3. During the ITF's Respect and Safety Action Week, 6 - 12 October, 100 members of the Belgian ACV Transcom protested in front of the Iranian Embassy in Brussels to demand freedom for Mansoor Osanloo and other imprisoned Iranian trade unionists. So did the Japanese JRU union delegation in Tokyo but their request to meet with the envoy and to submit a letter were refused. Bus members of the union will write postcards to the President of Iran on this matter. Earlier, on 17 September, Norwegian Transport Workers Union, Fagforbundet and two other unions demonstrated outside the Iranian Embassy in Oslo, prior to the UN's General Assembly in New York where the Iranian President was scheduled to attend.

Send us your reports and plans for actions - Mac
www.justiceforiranianworkers.org

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR IRAN:

FREE ALL JAILED WORKERS:

The theocratic rulers of Iran have long seen an independent workers' movement as a major threat to their rule and that of their business allies. Because of this repression of the workers is a regular occurrence in that country. The following appeal to release all jailed unionists comes from the Support Workers Councils In Iran group. You can sign the following petition by going to this link.

JWJWJWJWJW
End worker persecutions in Iran!

All jailed workers must be released!

Arbitrary arrests and detentions, long prison terms, violent interrogations, beatings, even use of lashing to degrade and break down, denial of medical care to sick detainees, constant harassment in the form of court summons, heavy bails and daily threats against workers and their families, and the ultimate weapon of cutting workers off their livelihood by firing them, make up a brutal regime of systematic persecution of labour activists in Iran.

We, the undersigned, demand that persecution of workers in Iran and terror and violence against them must stop. Workers in Iran should be able to freely exercise their fundamental right to set up their own organisations, meet, assemble and protest as they wish, take strike action, organise and take part in rallies without fear of being arrested and thrown in jail.

At the moment, Mansoor Ossanlou, Ebrahim Madadi and Reza Shahabi, of the Union of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, Ghorban Ahmadi, Ali Akbar Baghani, Hossein Bastani Nejad, Mahmoud Beheshti Langroodi, Rasoul Bodaghi, Mohammad Davari, Alireza Hashemi, Seyyed Hashem Khastar and Abdollah Momeni, of the Iranian Teachers’ Trade Association, and two other labour activists by the names of Behnam Ebrahimzadeh and Mehdi Farrahi Shandiz continue to be imprisoned in Iran. Another jailed teacher, Mr Abdolreza Ghanbari, has been sentenced to death for taking part in the anti-government demonstrations of 27 December 2009.

We demand

• The immediate and unconditional release of all jailed labour activists in Iran
• The reinstatement, with all lost pay backdated, of all those dismissed for carrying out legitimate union activity
• An end to persecution and terrorizing of workers in Iran

INTERNATIONAL POLITICS IRAN:

STOP THE EXECUTION OF SAKINEH ASHTIANI:

In response to wide international protest the judiciary of Iran has relented and said that Sakineh Ashtiani will not be executed by "stoning". It is left open, however, whether she will be executed in another fashion for the "crime" of adultery. It should be noted that generally in Islamic jurisprudence it is almost impossible to prove adultery as it takes the eyewitness testimony of four male witnesses to the act. There is, however, an out as confessions are taken as equivalent evidence. Ashtiani's so-called "confession" was obtained by duress ie during the course of her whipping. That apparently can be done even if there is not the standard of proof required for the death penalty to be applied. She has later recanted her forced confession. Here's at item from the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) calling you to sign a petition demanding that Ashtiani not be executed by any method.

IWIWIWIWIW
Help save lives in Iran


People from across the world are organizing to save the life of Sakineh Ashtiani, the Iranian woman who faces death after having been tortured for alleged adultery.

Act now and join the hundreds of thousands of people demanding that the Iranian government halt Ashtiani’s execution.

Sign the international petition

In 2006 Ashtiani was convicted of having an illicit relationship and received 99 lashes. Since this time the 43-year old mother of two has been in jail where she recanted the confession she made under the duress of the lashing.

She was recently re-tried and again convicted. Her sentence: death by stoning.

Due to international pressure Iran’s government has indicated that she will not be executed by stoning, though her death sentence may still be carried out by some other method, likely hanging.

Even if Sakineh Ashanti is not executed she may still face a long prison term. Right now fifteen more people are on death row in Iran waiting stoning, in which victims are buried up to their necks in the ground and then large rocks are thrown at their heads.

Don’t let Sakineh Ashtiani become another victim of the debasing, inhuman treatment of women that has become the daily reality in Iran. Make your voice count and encourage others to do the same.

Take action against the practice of stoning; take action against abuse of women. Sign the petition at the link below. Encourage your friends and family to do so to.

By working together we can help make a difference by keeping up the international pressure on the Iranian government to stop this brutal violation of human rights.

Take action now

IWIWIWIWIW

THE LETTER:

Please go to this link to sign the following petition to the Iranian authorities.

IWIWIWIWIW
To Ayotollah Ali Khamenei and the leaders of Iran
We call on you to finally put an end to capital punishment by stoning and to reverse the unjust judgment in the case of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani.

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR IRAN:

CAMPAIGN TO FREE JAILED IRANIAN WORKERS:

Here's news of an international campaign to free all workers jailed in Iran because of their union activities. The following comes from the Support Workers' Councils In Iran facebook page.

IWIWIWIWIW

Campaign to free JAILED WORKERS in IRAN

In Iran workers are routinely arrested for going on strike, for building a union or for celebrating May Day. That is what happened to bus workers in Tehran: Over 700 of them were arrested when they went on strike in 2006. Some of their leaders, such as Mansoor Ossanlou, are still in jail, and some have been fired from their jobs. It happened to sugar cane workers when they organised protests over unpaid wages and built a union. Their leaders have spent months in prison and are daily harassed with court summons and heavy bails. Some have also lost their jobs. Teachers who took strike action and held rallies over their pay and conditions have also been put in prison. Over the years, hundreds of workers have met a similar end for exercising their fundamental right to freely organise, strike and assemble.

Arbitrary arrests and detentions, long prison terms, violent interrogations, beatings, even use of lashing to degrade and break down, denial of medical care to sick detainees, constant harassment in the form of court summons, heavy bails and daily threats issued against the workers and their families, and the ultimate weapon of cutting workers off their livelihood by firing them, make up a brutal regime of systematic persecution of labour activists in Iran.

In May this year the regime added to its 31-year record of horrific human rights abuse by executing well-known teacher and labour activist Farzad Kamangar, along with four other political prisoners. The world’s trade unions and human rights organisations had been campaigning for Farzad’s release for years, and vehemently condemned the callous killings.

We, a group of labour activists and campaigners from Iran and around the world, have set up this campaign to highlight the plight of the workers currently in jail in Iran or under the threat of arrest and detention. The aim of the campaign is the immediate and unconditional release of all labour activists who are currently in jail. Some of us are former members of the very unions suppressed by the regime in Iran, who are continuing the fight in exile through this and other campaigns.

Our demand is clear: the terror and violence against workers in Iran must stop! Workers in Iran should be able to freely exercise their fundamental right to set up their own organisations, meet, assemble and protest as they wish, take strike action, organise and take part in rallies, etc., without fear of being arrested and thrown in jail. All jailed workers must be immediately and unconditionally freed!

The following workers are currently known to be held in various prisons and detention centres in Iran. The actual list is much longer. The whereabouts of some remain unknown (The list is regularly updated on our blogs):

From the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs United (Vahed) Bus Company:

Mansoor Ossanlou (President)
Ebrahim Madadi (Vice President)
Saeed Torabian (Spokesperson)
Reza Shahabi (Treasurer)

From the Iranian Teachers’ Trade Association:

Ghorban Ahmadi
Ali Akbar Baghani
Hossein Bastani Nejad
Mahmoud Beheshti Langroodi
Rasoul Bodaghi
Mohammad Davari
Alireza Hashemi (General Secretary)
Seyyed Hashem Khastar
Abdollah Momeni

* Another teacher, Abdolreza Ghanbari, was arrested during the mass anti-government demonstration on 27 December 2009. He has been sentenced to death.

Other detained labour activists:

Behnam Ebrahim-zadeh
Mehdi Farrahi Shandiz

We call on all trade unions and human rights organisations around the world and all individuals and organisations appalled by the horrific human rights abuse in Iran to support and sign up to this campaign.

Initial signatories:

Mamad Amiri (Labour activist, Sweden)
Davoud Aram (Labour activist, Canada)
Foroogh Arghavan (Labour activist, Canada)
Masoud Arzhang (Labour activist, Canada)
Naser Asghari (Labour activist, Canada)
Shahla Daneshfar (Labour activist)
Pascal Descamp (Labour activist, member of CGT, France)
Saleh Falahi (Labour activist, transport workers’ union, Norway)
Morteza Fateh (Labour activist, UK)
Ahmad Fatemi (Labour activist, member of Unionen, Sweden)
Reza Fathi (Labour activist, former member of a union in Iran)
Farshad Hosseini (Labour activist, Holland)
Mehran Khorshidi (Labour activist, transport workers’ union, Norway)
Yadi Kouhi (Labour activist, France)
Mehran Mahboobi (Labour activist, Canada)
Shiva Mahboobi (Spokesperson, Campaign to Free Political Prisoners in Iran)
Manouchehr Mahdavi Tabar (Former member of the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Vahed Bus Company)
Abbas Mandegar (Labour activist, transport workers’ union, Canada)
Shahnaz Morattab (Labour activist, postal workers’ union, Germany)
Arsalan Nazeri (Labour activist, Australia)
Mohammad Nemati (Former member of the Free Union of Iranian Workers)
Saber Rahimi (Labour activist, Norway)
Reza Rashidi (Former Member of the Follow-up Committee to Set Up Free Workers’ Organisations in Iran)
Bahram Soroush (Labour activist)
Abbas Zamani (Labour activist, former member of a union in Iran)

Campaign co-ordinators:

Shahla Daneshfar: Shahla_Daneshfar@yahoo.com 0044-77798 98968
Bahram Soroush: Bahram.Soroush@gmail.com 0044-7852 338334

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR IRAN:

FREE IMPRISONED IRANIAN UNIONISTS:

For over three decades workers in Iran have been struggling for their rights against a theocratic regime that seems to grow harsher by the day. A lot of attention has been paid to the general struggle of the Iranian people for freedom, but the struggle of the workers for their basic rights and livelihood is very much underreported in the western media. Amnesty International has initiated a campaign for the release of two out of the many imprisoned unionists. Here's the story and appeal.

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Iran: Trade unionists held incommunicado

Saeed Torabian (pictured right), from the Union of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company (Sherkat-e Vahed), was arrested at his home on 9 June, by security officials who also confiscated his computer and mobile phone.

Reza Shahabi (pictured left), the Treasurer of the Union, was arrested on 12 June. When he arrived at work he was summoned to the headquarters of the Bus Company, where he was arrested by security officials. They took him to his house, which they searched, and confiscated his computer.

Amnesty International believes that both men are very likely to be prisoners of conscience, held solely on account of their peaceful trade union activities and is concerned that they are held in conditions amounting to enforced disappearance.

Background information

The Union (or Syndicate) of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company (Sherkat-e Vahed) was banned after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Workers resumed the Union's activities in 2004, although it is not legally recognized. On 22 December 2005, police arrested 12 of the Union's leaders at their homes but quickly released four of them. Other members were arrested on 25 December 2005 after they went on strike to call for the release of their colleagues. Saeed Torabian was among those arrested, and spent one month in custody. Hundreds more were arrested during a further strike in January 2006.

Two other members of the Union's board, Mansour Ossanlu and Ebrahim Maddadi, the Head and Deputy Head of the Union respectively, are currently serving prison sentences for their peaceful trade union activities.

Saeed Torabian and Reza Shahabi had been suspended from work, without pay, for about four years following the strikes in 2005. They were eventually reinstated after the Court of Administrative Justice investigated their case. This Court is empowered to investigate complaints against government employees.

Other trade unionists have been arrested or harassed recently, including members of local Teachers' Trade Associations, particularly in the run-up to International Labour Day on 1 May and National Teachers' day on 2 May 2010. Some of them were summoned by security officials, and some were detained for several hours, while the houses of others were searched, and some union meetings were broken up by the authorities.

The Iranian authorities refused permission for demonstrations to be held on the anniversary of the presidential election, and arrests of political activists, human rights defenders, students, trade unionists and others increased in the days and weeks before the anniversary. Some people defied a heavy security presence to demonstrate on the streets of Tehran. At least 91 people were arrested in connection with demonstrations, according to the Tehran Police Commander.

Protests at the disputed outcome of the 2009 election were violently repressed, with scores killed. Thousands were arrested, many of whom were tortured or otherwise ill-treated, often to obtain forced "confessions". Hundreds have been tried unfairly, including in mass "show trials", many of whom are serving long-prison terms, often as prisoners of conscience. Some have been sentenced to death, and two executed.

Iran is a State Party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 22 (1) of which states: "Everyone shall have the right to freedom of association with others, including the right to form and join trade unions for the protection of his interests," and to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Article 8 of which guarantees the "right of everyone to form trade unions and join the trade union of his choice".

Amnesty International believes that both men are very likely to be prisoners of conscience, held solely on account of their peaceful trade union activities and is concerned that they are held in conditions amounting to enforced disappearance.

Send the email below to the Iranian authorities to disclose the whereabouts of Saeed Torabian and Reza Shahabi and release them if they are held solely for their peaceful trade union activities.
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THE LETTER:

Please go to this link to send the following letter to the judicial authorities in Tehran.

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I am writing to you to express my deep concern for Saeed Torabian and Reza Shahabi, leading members of a trade union who were arrested on 9 and 12 June respectively and are being held at unknown locations.

It is extremely important that Saaed Torabian and Reza Shahabi’s current whereabouts be established and their family be informed of what has happened to them.

I strongly urge you to release them if they are held solely for their peaceful trade union activities.

If Saaed Torabian and Reza Shahabi are found in detention they should be released immediately and unconditionally, unless they are charged with a recognisable criminal offence.

Iran is a State Party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 22 (1) of which states: "Everyone shall have the right to freedom of association with others, including the right to form and join trade unions for the protection of his interests," and to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Article 8 of which guarantees the "right of everyone to form trade unions and join the trade union of his choice".

I remind you that Saaed Torabian and Reza Shahabi are entitled to the full protection from torture or other ill-treatment while in custody, and should be granted immediate access to their families, to lawyers of their choice, and to adequate medical care.

My thanks for your urgent attention to this important matter.

I look forward to hearing from you.

HUMOUR:

LOOKING CLOSELY:

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR- IRAN:

PROTEST FARZAD KAMANGAR EXECUTION:

The following call to protest the recent execution of Iranian political prisoner Farzad Kamangar comes from the online labour solidarity site Labour Start.

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Iran: Farzad Kamangar executed
Together with four other Kurdish political prisoners, Farzad Kamangar was executed, in secret, on Sunday 9 May at Evin Prison in Tehran. Kamangar, a 35-year-old teacher and member of the Teachers' Trade Association of Kurdistan, was accused of "endangering national security" and "enmity against God". He had lived with the threat of the death penalty since February 2008, when it was imposed upon him after a sham trial that lasted less than five minutes. In prison, Farzad suffered torture and psychological pressure.

Although the Iranian authorities had accepted Farzad’s appeal, the case stalled when it should have been sent to the Supreme Court for review. After further delays, Farzad's lawyer was told that his file had been lost. Despite the evident lack of independent inquiry into the allegations and the absence of a fair judicial process, Farzad has been executed.

Farzad's case is particularly troubling because of the opaque and secretive manner in which his trial was conducted, the lack of basic rights he had access to whilst in prison, and the fact that neither his family or legal representatives were informed of his execution.

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THE LETTER

Please go to this link to send the following letter to the Iranian authorities.

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I strongly condemn the execution of the Kurdish teacher trade unionist Farzad Kamangar on 9 May 2010.

Despite the evident lack of independent inquiry into the allegations, the absence of a fair judicial process, the fact that Mr Kamangar's appeal was still to be reviewed by the Supreme Court, though Mr Kamangar's lawyer had been told that the file had been lost, Mr Kamangar has still been executed. I denounce this inhumane treatment of Farzad Kamangar, and the fact that neither his family, nor his lawyer, were informed about the execution.

This brutal execution raises anxiety about the fate of other detained teacher unionists, such as Rasoul Bodaghi, Hashem Khastar, Bahman Goudarzzade and Abdolresa Ghanbari. I am also concerned about the continued detention of Mansoor Osanloo and Ebrahim Madadi, leaders of the Tehran Bus Workers' Union (Vahed Syndicate), Mohammad Olyaiefard,
lawyer for the Haft Tapeh and Tehran Bus Workers' Unions, and Ali Nejati, Chairman of the Haft Tapeh Sugar Cane Company Workers' Syndicate.

This execution will also intensify the already pervasive climate of fear and persecution surrounding trade union activities in Iran.

I urge you to:

Investigate the legal framework of the execution of Farzad Kamangar and clarify why his file was not reviewed by the Supreme Court in accordance with national law;
Ensure, in law and practice, all guarantees of due process of law established in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, including the principle of presumption of innocence and elimination of torture and ill-treatment in prison;
Respect the full exercise of the right to freedom of expression and rights to association and assembly, as recommended by the Committee on Freedom of Association of the International Labour Organisation;
Announce a moratorium on executions.

I look forward to hearing about your positive intervention on this very serious matter.

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR:

IRANIAN MAY DAY STATEMENT:

The following statement of workers' organizations in Iran is a translation published at the Facebook group 'Support Workers' Councils in Iran'. Workers' councils are one method of both workers' struggle against the state and other bosses in 'revolutionary times' and also one method whereby people have tried to organize production outside of the system of management direction. In Iran today some of the most repressed segments of society are those workers who are struggling for their rights in the face of the clerical regime's unwavering support for the employer class. Should the clerical fascist regime ever be overthrown you can be assured that an independent workers' movement will play an utterly critical role in its downfall. Until that day Iranian workers continue to hold the line against both boss and state. Here is their statement on the international labour day- May Day.

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Joint May Day, International Workers Day, Resolution (Workers Organizations in Iran)
May 1st is the international day of working-class solidarity and the day of global protest against poverty, destitution, and injustice. On this day, millions of workers the world over stop work, take over the streets, and express their anger and disgust at the numerous ...problems the capitalist system has visited on humanity, and loudly call for freedom from oppression, exploitation, and for building a better day. While voices of protest against the hardships inflicted by the capitalist system and calls for justice for workers the world over are heard on May 1st, there is a ban on celebrations of the occasion in Iran.

At this moment, the workers who organized last year’s May Day events have been sentenced to prison or are on the brink of receiving heavy sentences and dozens of labor leaders and activists are in jail for setting up labor organizations and defending their right to do so. This lack of social rights for workers has been the order of the day in Iran for the three decades since the February 1979 revolution, which reduced wages to a quarter below the poverty line. Routine are long delays in the payment of wages, layoffs and unemployment for masses of workers. Temporary and blank contracts, ubiquitous today, have forced a hellish situation on millions of workers and their families. To ensure higher profits, capital is hell-bent on taking the last loaves from the tables of millions of workers and redirecting them to the valets of owners, by closing down plants and cutting public subsidies.

But as we, the workers of Iran showed in the 1979 revolution and in more recent years, we will not tolerate this misery and injustice. Despite prisons and repression, the people of Iran will resist this trampling on our most basic human rights and will not allow our lives and subsistence to be destroyed any further. We are the principle producers of the wealth and riches in the society. It is our inalienable right to reap the rewards of our labors. While protesting these conditions, which have put Iranian workers and the majority of the Iranian people under enormous duress, we stress the following rights and call for the immediate and unconditional implementation of all of them:

1. Organizations independent of the government and employers, strikes, protests, demonstrations, assembly, and free speech are our inalienable rights; these demands should be recognized as unconditional social rights of workers and all Iranian people.

2. We see the cutting of subsidies (management of aid) and the minimum wage as a gradual death sentence on millions of workers and their families. We call for an immediate halt to these plans and demand an increase of the minimum wage.

3. All back wages owed to workers should be paid immediately, without any excuses; the non-payment of wages should be considered a criminal act – wage theft – and the damages incurred paid to the workers.

4. Expulsions and layoffs of workers should be stopped and all those laid off or of retirement age who can work should receive unemployment benefits in accordance with a dignified, humane living.

5. We demand the eradication of temporary and blank contracts, job security for all workers and wage earners, the highest standards of health care and safety on the job and the eradication of all governmental bodies from the workplace.

6. We call for an end to capital punishment and the immediate and unconditional release of Ibrahim Maddadi, Mansour Osaloo, Ali Nejati, and all labor and other social and protest movement activists from prison, and a halt to judicial prosecution against them.

7. While condemning any attacks on workers and people’s protests, we see protests against injustice and declaring one’s opinion as inalienable rights of workers and all people.

8. We demand the repeal of all discriminatory laws against women and full and unconditional equality of women and men in all aspects of social, economic, political, cultural, and family spheres.

9. We demand a dignified life of well-being devoid of economic worries for retirees and the eradication of all discrimination in payment of pensions and entitlement to social security and health care.

10. Child labor should be eradicated, and all children, regardless of the economic and social standing of their parents, gender, national, racial, and religious backgrounds, should enjoy equal and free education, welfare, and health care benefits.

11. We declare our support for all social liberation movements and strongly condemn the arrest, sentencing, and incarceration of these movements’ activists.

12. While declaring our strong support for the demands of the teachers, nurses, and other working strata of the society, we see ourselves as their allies and call for the immediate realization of their demands.

13. We are part of the world labor movement and as such condemn the expulsions and any kind of discrimination against Afghan and other nationalities of immigrant workers, for any reason. 14. While appreciating all the international support for the struggle of the workers of Iran and strong support for the protests and demands of workers all over the world, we see ourselves as their allies and now more than ever emphasize the international solidarity of workers to overcome the perils of the capitalist system.

15. May 1st should be a national holiday and included in the official calendar and all illegalities and limitations on its celebration should be eliminated.

Long live May 1st,

Long live the international solidarity of workers!

May 1, 2010, Ordibehesht 11, 1389 Tehran and Municipality Vahed Bus Workers Syndicate Haft Tapeh Sugar Refinery Workers Syndicate Free Assembly of Iranian Workers Re-inauguration board of Metal and Mechanical Syndicate Re-inauguration board of Painting Workers Syndicate Kermanshah Electrical and Metal Workers Trade Society Pursuing Committee for the Formation of Free Workers Organizations Coordination Committee for support of the Formation of Workers Organizations Support Society for Laid off and Unemployed Workers in Saghez Women’s Council

Source: Iran Labor Report

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR-IRAN:

FREEDOM FOR IRANIAN SUGAR UNION PRESIDENT:

The following appeal for solidarity with imprisoned Iranian unionists comes from the international union federation, the IUF.

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Four Iran Sugar Union Leaders Free but President Nejati Still in Prison and Facing Additional Sentence:
While 4 convicted leaders of the independent Haft Tapeh sugarworkers union in Iran have now been freed, President Ali Nejati remains in prison, where he could spend two years or more on charges of 'endangering national security'. Union Communications Officer Reza Rakhshan is stiill awaiting final sentencing for his conviction last year on similar charges.

Nejati (pictured at right) is currently serving a one-year sentence and faces an additional term of one year or more.

Gorban Alipour and Mohammad Heidari have been released after completing all or part of their sentences; Jali Ahmadi and Feridun Nikfar have been released conditionally on probation after partially serving their sentences.

Nothing has changed at Haft Tapeh, where workers have had to resort to spontaneous industrial action on several occasions since the union leaders were imprisoned in order to obtain payment of their wages.

The campaign for the Haft Tapeh workers will continue until:
*President Ali Nejati is released, his sentence annulled and all pending charges are dropped:
*all past and present charges against Reza Rakhshan are dropped;
*all Haft Tapeh union officers are immediately reinstated in their jobs, with full back pay;
*the government and the company recognize the Haft Tapeh Union as the workers' representative for collective bargaining, fully respecting all trade rights.

CLICK HERE to send a message to the Iranian state and judicial authorities. Your message will be conveyed to the Haft Tapeh workers.