Dear Friends,
The Islamic regime in Iran has launched a campaign of arrests, kidnapping, executions and stoning to death in an attempt to drive back the ongoing protests, strikes and demonstrations in Iran by creating a climate of terror and fear. We are calling on all labour and human rights organisations around the world to raise their voice of protest against this barbarity of the Islamic regime.
The following are just a few examples of the Islamic regime’s ongoing atrocities:
- On the evening of July 10th Mansoor Ossanlou, the president of the Union of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company (Sherkat e Vahed), was abducted by the regime’s plain clothes security agents as he was getting off the bus. He was beaten up and taken into custody. He is now being held at the high-security Evin Prison.
- Mahmoud Salehi, well known labour activist, long persecuted for organising May Day rallies and for his labour activities, and who has been in jail since April 2007, is reported to have slipped into a coma due to kidney failure following denial of medical care by the authorities. He lost his other kidney in previous years of imprisonment under the Islamic regime.
- On July 10th, workers arrested on May Day this year in the city of Sanandaj were put to trial on the charge of “disturbing the peace”. They are: Khaled Savari, Eghbal Latifi, Yadollah Moradi, Taieb Molaee, Fars Gavilian, Sedigh Amjadi, Abbas Andaryari, Habibollah Kalkani, Moheiedin Rajabi, Taieb Chatani and Sedigh Sobhani.
- On July 14th, labour activists Shais Amani, the head of the executive board, and Sedigh Karimi, member of the board, of the National Union of Dismissed and Unemployed Workers, appeared in court. Their charges include “disturbing the peace”, “acting against national security”, collecting donations for the family of Mahmoud Salehi, membership in their union and in a workers’ committee working to set up free labour organisations, as well as “contacts with opposition organisations”.
- On July 10th, the judiciary’s spokesman announced that death sentences against 20 people had been upheld and a further 15 had been sentenced to death. It was also announced that around 100 people had been arrested in connection with the recent protests against petrol rationing.
- The stoning to death of a man in the city of Takestan was confirmed by the judiciary, following earlier denials.
- On July 9th the regime implemented an unofficial marshal law against students of Tehran University and Polytechnique. 16 students are reported to have been arrested, including the following:
Mohammad Hashemi, Mehdi Arabshahi, Ali Nikonesbati, Bahareh Hedaiat, Hanif Yazdani, Ali Vefghi, Abdollah Momeni, Bahram Faiazi, Habib Hajheidari, Mojtaba Bayat, Saeed Hossein Nia, Masoud Habibi, Morteza Eslahchi and Ezzate Ghalandari.
- On the same day, more people were arrested in the capital Tehran, including a number of young motorists, whose families later gathered outside the police station where they were being held. A number of women’s rights activists were also summoned to face various charges.
The above are just a few examples of the atrocities taking place in Iran right now. We call on all labour and human rights organisations around the world to protest in every way they can against this barbarity of the Islamic Republic regime to secure the release of Mansoor Ossanlou, Mahmoud Salehi and other activists, unconditionally and immediately, and to put an end to the executions, stonings and trial of workers, and women’s rights activists.
Shahla Daneshfar
International Labour Solidarity Committee of the Worker-communist Party of Iran
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