Tuesday 24 January 2012

Iran: Two trade unionists released, but more arrested

Two worker activists by the name Sharif Saed Panah and Mozaffar Saleh Nia, both members of the Free Union of Iranian Workers, who were arrested earlier this month, have been released on bail. The release follows several weeks of campaigning both inside and outside Iran. The released workers were jubilantly greeted by their family and supporters outside the offices of the Ministry of Intelligence in Sanandaj.

However, a number of other trade unionists have been detained, or summoned to the Intelligence Ministry: In Tabriz, Shahrokh Zamani and Mohammad Jarahi were detained while out on bail, while Nima Poor-Yaghoub and Sasan Vahebi-Vash were summoned. Zamani and Jarahi are both members of the Follow-up Committee to Set up Free Labour Organisations. Last August, a court sentenced all four to long prison terms: Zamani to 11 years, Jarahi to five years and six months, Poor-Yaghoub to six years and Vahebi-Vash to six months.

Almost simultaneously in Sanandaj, Sheis Amani, well-known leader of the city’s textile workers and a board member of the Free Union of Iranian Workers, was detained when enquiring about the cases of other jailed workers at the Prosecutor’s Office.

Meanwhile, other trade unionists, such as Reza Shahabi and Ebrahim Madadi, leaders of Tehran’s bus workers’ union, Behnam Ebrahimzadeh, member of the Follow-up Committee to Set up Free Labour Organisations, Ali Nejati, leader of the sugar cane workers’ union and Rasoul Bodaghi, from the Teachers’ Trade Association, continue to serve long prison terms for their union activity.

We call on all trade unions and human rights organisations to condemn the latest arrests and the continued jailing of trade unionists, and to demand the immediate and unconditional release of all those detained.

Free Them Now! Campaign to Free Jailed Workers in Iran
http://free-them-now.blogspot.com/
For further info, contact: Shahla_Daneshfar@yahoo.com Bahram.Soroush@gmail.com

Tuesday 10 January 2012

More trade unionists arrested in Iran

Letter

8 January 2012

To all trade unions and human rights organisations

We are writing to inform you that in the past two weeks there have been a further intensification of attacks by the Islamic Republic on worker activists in Iran.

The latest incident is the arrest this morning of Sharif Saed Panah, member of the executive board of the Free Union of Iranian Workers. This follows the arrest on 5th January of Union member Mozaffar Saleh Nia in the city of Sanandaj, and two weeks earlier of Mohammad Hosseini, a worker activist in Damavand City. All three have been detained for their union activity.

In the mean time, Reza Shahabi, who is a member of the executive board of Tehran and District Bus Workers’ Union, has been admitted to hospital following a ten-day hunger strike in protest against his arbitrary arrest and imprisonment. In a letter from hospital, Shahabi has protested against his treatment as a prisoner while in hospital, with restrictions even on visits by his family, and has said he would refuse medical treatment until the restrictions are lifted. Ebrahim Madadi, also an executive board member of the bus workers’ union, continues to be detained, as are Behnam Ebrahimzadeh, member of the Follow-up Committee to Form Free Trade Unions, Rasoul Bodaghi, member of the Teachers’ Trade Association, and many student and civil rights activists.

We call on all trade unions and human rights organisations to express their revulsion against the latest arrests and the continued persecution of trade unionists and political dissidents in Iran, and to demand their immediate and unconditional release.

Free Them Now!
Campaign to Free Jailed Workers in Iran

http://free-them-now.blogspot.com/

For further info, contact:
Shahla_daneshfar@yahoo.com
Bahram.Soroush@gmail.com