Saturday, December 11, 2010


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.

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