Mansour Osanloo is President of the Executive Committee of the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company. He has been arrested, interrogated, and tortured numerous times. His first arrest was in 2005 following a workers’ protest. Osanloo is being held in Rajaee Shahr Prison in Karaj and the Medical Examiner has recommended a discontinuation of his sentence three times for his severe heart conditions.

“Despite our pursuit of the matter and Osanloo’s critical condition, the Prosecutor has not yet to agree to his hospitalization outside the prison.  They must know about the results of Osanloo’s angiography for sure, and they must know that under these conditions, he needs immediate treatment,” said Fereshteh Osanloo regarding efforts to transfer her husband outside the prison.

“Due to my illness, I have not been to see him for a while, but my children who went to see him said that his spirits are good, as usual, but that he has physical problems. Other than the heart condition, he has also developed a disc problem in prison and his eyes are also infected. After the surgery he had for his eyes two years ago, every once in a while his eyes get infected. The prison environment is dirty and his eyes quickly get infected,” said Fereshteh Osanloo about his health.

“If the authorities behave according to law, Mansour should be released for his treatment now. He only has two or three months left of his sentence. He has been in prison for 4.5 years without being allowed furlough even once. Now that he has a dire need for treatment, it is his right to be able to leave the prison. His doctors have said this numerous times and results of his angiography have been sent to the Prosecutor’s Office. Is he not entitled to medical treatment just like any other prisoner?,” added Osanloo’s sister.

After his first arrest, Osanloo was imprisoned for eight months, three months of which he spent in solitary confinement. He was arrested by security forces again in July 2007 near his home, and after his trial was sentenced to five years in prison on charges of “acting against national security,” and “propagating against the regime.”

An informed source told the Campaign that at the time of the strike, reporters with government agencies were not allowed to be present.  Cameras belonging to reporters with Tabarestan Provincial Network, a government television station, were confiscated.

Four hours into the strike, officials from the Governor’s Office promised to increase the taxi fares by 12 February. At the end of the strike, the taxi drivers issued a statement expressing that unless their problem with the low cab fare is not addressed, they would resume their strike on Saturday, 12 February. A notable aspect of the strike was that in addition to their trade demands, many drivers talked about the suppressed public demands of recent months. After an entanglement with a police commander, one of the striking drivers told him, “You suppressed people to the point where Iran will eventually become like Egypt.”

During the strike, stranded taxi passengers waited inside taxi stations. The Babol Municipality finally dispatched several buses to transport the passengers all over the city, which instead of helping caused traffic jams that were met with public objection.

“Yesterday, I went to the Tehran Prosecutor’s Office. They said his case was sent to the Revolutionary Courts, and so I have to go to the Revolutionary Courts tomorrow and find out,” Hassan Shahabi said about the developments in his brother’s case.  When asked how human rights organizations could help his brother Shahabi said, “I hope that through the dissemination of information by these organizations, the government would be convinced to release him from prison and to [allow him] to return home. He has two small children for whom life without their father is very difficult.”

Regarding his brother’s health condition while on hunger strike Shahabi said, “I could tell from his voice that he was talking with difficulty and in spurts. From now on he is only going to drink water and this will only add to his problems. His digestive problems, gum infection, and backache also remain.”

Reza Shahabi was dismissed from his job at the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company four years ago. He is the sole breadwinner for his wife and two young kids who live in a rented apartment.

Reza Shahabi was arrested at work on 12 June and detained in solitary confinement for 40 days. So far his charges are not known.  Shahabi was fired from his job four years ago due to his union activities. Shahabi was up for release on bail twice, but both times there was opposition to his release. The first time the bail amount was set at $60,000, and the second time it was raised to $100,000.

In addition to Shahabi, at the present time other labor activists including Mansour Ossanlou, Ebrahim Maddadi, Morteza Kamsari, Gholam Reza Hosseini, and Ali Akbar Nazari are also in prison.

Reza Shahabi is a prisoner of conscience and member of the Union of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company (Sherkat-e Vahed) who has been on a dry hunger strike since Saturday, 4 December inside Evin prison’s ward 209. Shahabi’s wife, Zohreh Rezaei, told the Campaign that Shahabi is in critical condition. Shahabi has said he will continue his hunger strike until his judicial status is clarified.

Shahabi was arrested on 12 June at his workplace. He spent 40 days in solitary confinement and so far no charges have been announced. Four years ago, Shahabi was dismissed from his job for his union activities.

In an interview with the Campaign, Rezaei expressed concern about her husband’s physical condition. “When I went to visit him today, I noticed that he can no longer walk. He didn’t have the strength to talk, either. He was in terrible shape. Many of his friends and co-workers asked me to ask him today to break his hunger strike, but he said ‘I will continue my hunger strike until my judicial status is clarified.’ He has been in detention for seven months, but his charges are still unknown,” she said.

“He has been in prison for close to seven months. They agreed to release him on bail two months ago. First they said [his bail amount was] $60,000, but then they said we had to post bail at $100,000. Though we raised the money, they have not yet released him,” said Rezaei, adding that her husband has done nothing but defend the rights of his co-workers.

Rezaei told the Campaign that despite the efforts of Shahabi’s lawyer, he has not been able to access his case file to review it.  “I just want the situation with my husband’s case to be clarified as soon as possible, so that he may return to his family. I expect that just as Reza Shahabi defended the rights of his co-workers even when he was fired, that his co-workers would now defend him and his situation and not to leave him alone,” Rezaei said.

Shahabi is the sole breadwinner of his family with his friends helping his family to sustain themselves in his seven month absence.

Currently, in addition to Reza Shahabi, other Tehran Bus Company union activists in prison or detention include, Mansour Ossanlou, Ebrahim Maddadi, Gholamreza Ghoamhosseini, Morteza Kamsari, and Ali Akbar Nazari.

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran is seriously concerned about Reza Shahabi’s deteriorating condition and holds Iranian authorities responsible for his health.

Correction: The original version of this news item mistakenly stated that Saeed Torabian, a member of the Bus Workers Union, is currently in jail. Torabian who was detained last June is currently free and not in prison.

(30 April 2010) The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran today urged Iranian authorities to respect the rights of trade union activists and teachers to participate in International Workers Day (1 May) and National Teachers Day (2 May) observations, and expressed deep concern about recent arrests of members of teachers groups in an apparent attempt to intimidate others from demonstrating.

In February 2010, in the course of a review of its human rights record under the United Nations Universal Periodic Review process, Iran agreed to respect the social and economic rights of its citizens and their right to freedom of expression as recommended by Brazil, Mexico, Zimbabwe, Bolivia, Vietnam, and Kuwait.

“We call upon the Islamic Republic to abide by its commitment to respect economic and social rights and the right to freedom of expression, to halt the persecution of peaceful labor and teacher activists, and to permit groups to express their solidarity and demands on the first and second of May,” stated Aaron Rhodes, a spokesperson for the Campaign.

“If the authorities go on harassing labor activists and crush the May observances, as they have in past years, it will demonstrate the total hypocrisy of the pledges Iran made,” he said.

On 24 April, three members of the Teacher’s Trade Association in Hamedan, Ali Najafi, Asghar Mohammad Khani and Jalal Naderi, were summoned to the local intelligence office. Ali Najafi was detained for a day and night. All of them were interrogated again on 26 April.

Mohammad Beheshti Langeroudi and Ali Akbar Baghani were summoned on 24 April to the Tehran Investigation Office of the Intelligence Ministry. On 29 April, their houses were both attacked and searched by intelligence agents, and they were subsequently detained, with no information given as to their whereabouts or the legal basis for their arrest.

On 22 April 2010, Tofigh Mortezapour and Hasan Kharatian, from the Teacher’s Trade Association in Tabriz, were summoned to the local intelligence office. On 26 April, the house of Mortezapour was searched and personal items, including his computer and papers, were confiscated. On 27 April both men were interrogated.

In the past week, two teachers, Ali Sadeghi and Mohammad Tavakoli, from Kermanshah, received flogging and prison term sentences for participating in a teacher’s protest in 2006, having been charged with organizing an illegal gathering. They also face security charges, which are still under review.

On 16 April, leaders of Iranian teachers associations met in the city of Yazd to formulate a statement. They were threatened and warned to leave in a telephone call from the local intelligence office. The statement by the leaders of the Coordinating Council of Teacher’s Trade Association has called for hunger strikes after National Teachers Day on 2 May.

A number of Iranian teachers are imprisoned for their labor, human rights, and political activism, including Rasol Bodaghi, Hashem Khaster, Abdollah Momeni, Alireza Ghanbari and Mohammad Davari. Two of them, Farzad Kamangar and Alireza Ghanbari have been sentenced to death.

A group of 10 Iranian labor organizations published a list of concerns and demands ahead of International Workers Day on May 1. They included the freedom to organize, strike, assemble and freely express their grievances, a fair and decent minimum wage, an end to the nonpayment of wages and arbitrary dismissal, and employment security.

The groups also called for an end to the death penalty, the reform of laws discriminating against women, and the release of imprisoned labor activists including Ebrahim Madadi, Ali Nejati, and Mansour Osanloo.

“The harsh and illegal suppression of labor activists and the exploitation of workers in Iran deserve condemnation by the international community, and victims of Iran’s abuse of labor standards deserve the support of their counterparts and people around the world,” Rhodes said.

(9 November 2009)  Four leaders of the Syndicate of Workers of Haft Tapeh Sugar Cane Company (Syndikaa e Kargaran e Karkhaneh Neyshekar), including Fereydoun Nikoufard, Jalil Ahmadi, Ghorban Alipour and Mohammad Haydari have been summoned by intelligence officials and arrested to begin serving prison terms, and are being held in Dezful prison, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said today. Ali Nejati, the president of the Syndicate, is expecting to be arrested at any time.

“These sentences and arrests are emblematic of the Islamic Republic’s denial of basic workers rights in violation of Iran’s obligations as a member of the International Labor Organization (ILO),” said Hadi Ghaemi, a spokesperson for the Campaign.

“The denial of worker’s rights is a pillar of the government’s policy of repression,” he said.

The Syndicate of Workers of Haft Tapeh Sugar Cane Company was established in 2008 in Khuzestan province, and has nearly 5000 members. The union has been recognized internationally by the International Union of Food Workers.

The Haft Tapeh Sugar Cane Company has been one of the largest agricultural complexes in Iran, producing enough sugar for domestic consumption. In recent years though, its workers were threatened with the loss of their jobs as the company faced privatization and bankruptcy, reportedly as a result of political decisions that exposed the company to competition from imports.

On 24 October 2009, the Syndicate appealed to the ILO for help regarding the persecution of their union and violations of ILO conventions 87 and 98. They detailed their peaceful efforts to protest their unpaid wages, which was met with no positive responses, and their subsequent formation in October 2008 of the Syndicate, which they hold to be a legal entity based on Iran’s obligations as a member of the ILO. The letter protests the fining and sentencing of the leaders of the union and challenges the ILO to take action in their defense.

“Neither the workers and people of Iran, nor the international community, can accept that workers in Iran have no right to organize independent labor unions, which is a basic human right. Such persecutions can only increase social unrest in Iran and the isolation of the Islamic Republic from the international community,” Ghaemi said.

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran reminds that Mansour Osanloo and Ebrahim Maddadi, labor leaders from Tehran Bus Company Union, as well as Farzad Kamangar, Hashem Khastar, Rasoul Bodaghi and Jafar Ebrahimi from the teacher’s trade unions remain in jail simply for their trade union organizing work, which is protected by international human rights law.

The Campaign calls the authorities to drop all charges against the trade unionists and release them along with all the detainees who were arrested simply for exercising their rights to free expression and free assembly.

Mansour Osanloo

(17 May 2009) The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran urged Iran’s leading judicial authorities to review the conviction and sentencing of labor activist Mansour Osanloo and to release him. Government appointed medical examiners have twice ordered an end to his imprisonment due to his failing health, but judicial authorities have failed to release him.

The Campaign is seriously concerned that further imprisonment of Osanloo could cause his death. Iranian prison officials have a track record of denying urgent health care to prisoners of conscience, resulting in their death. Most recently, Omidreza Mirsayafi, an imprisoned blogger, died in Evin prison on 18 March 2009 after prison officials failed to provide him urgent medical care.

Osanloo’s family has pleaded for his release, with his mother having written letters to Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, the head of the Judiciary, in which she expressed fears for his life.

“We have tried all legal venues and appeals to the Judiciary to win Osanloo’s release to no avail; his continued imprisonment is cruel,” Osanloo’s wife Parvaneh Osanloo told the Campaign. “His family is calling on the international community, especially the labor organizations to continue supporting Osanloo and urge his release,” she added.

Osanloo has been languishing in prison since 10 July 2007. After being held in Evin prison he was suddenly transferred to Rejaee Shahr prison on 15 October 2008. The prison is unsuitable for someone with Osanloo’s severe health problems and is populated with the most dangerous criminals and violent offenders. Osanloo suffers from severe eye ailments and requires consistent medical attention because of open-heart surgery conducted a few years ago.

Fatemeh Golgozi, Osanloo’s mother, has written a letter to Ayatollah Shahroudi detailing the suffering she and her daughter-in-law have endured since 2007. She asks, “Is it justice to make my daughter-in-law with two children endure such hardship and pain simply because her husband worked for his basic rights and the rights of workers in the Islamic Republic through his union?”

Osanloo is serving a five-year prison sentence after being charged with “acting against national security” because of his activities organizing labor unions. He is the founding member of the Syndicate of Bus Operators of Tehran and Suburbs, an independent union that campaigns for the rights of workers. He has campaigned consistently for government recognition of the right to form independent unions and he has been repeatedly targeted as a leader of the campaign for workers’ rights in Iran. Events organized by his Syndicate have been attacked, during which members have been seriously injured.

“Continuing Mansour Osanloo’s incarceration is cruel and inhumane punishment in light of his physical condition, and it is emblematic of the denial of labor rights in Iran,” Aaron Rhodes, the Campaign‘s spokesperson said. “The Judiciary should immediately tend to his needs and release him to ensure his safety.”

There are serious concerns for Osanloo’s health and safety. In addition to eye ailments and his open-heart surgery, two of his arteries are clogged. He has undergone several surgeries but is denied routine specialist health care inside the prison. International labor unions and human rights organizations have urged his immediate release.

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran calls on Iranian officials to release Mansour Osanloo and review laws governing medical care in prisons to ensure safety for all prisoners. The Campaign urges the government to end its persecution and prosecution of all labor activists and to release over a hundred people detained on 1 May 2009 for participating in a May Day celebration.

_____________________________________

The full text of the letter by Osanloo’s mother to the head of the Judiciary is as follows:

In the Name of God
The Honorable Head of the Judiciary Mr. Shahroudi
Judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran

With Greetings and Respect,

I am Fatemeh Golgozi, mother of Mansour Osanloo, the head of the Syndicate of Bus Drivers of Tehran and Suburbs, who because he defended his rights and the rights of his coworkers has been unjustly held in prison for 3 years. I am requesting for your attention and resolution of my son’s case.

Mansour Osanloo, since his detention and the extension of his prison term has suffered from serious physical and mental ailments. Because of his condition, the government appointed medical examiner has twice ordered an end to his imprisonment, which unfortunately has been denied by judicial authorities. I, as his mother, if the highest and most respected Judge in the country will allow me, would like to ask these questions:

• Should someone who served the people for years as a driver in the Tehran Bus Company be treated in such a way?
• Why are we, as his family, facing utter indifference and lack of response from the judicial authorities to our inquiries, instead of his unconditional release?
• Is it justice to make my daughter in law with two children endure such hardship and pain simply because her husband worked for his basic rights and the rights of co-workers, within the constitutional and legal framework?
• My son, Mansour Osanloo, has done nothing but defended his rights that are guaranteed under our laws and he should not be in prison for this.

I request of you and  all the authorities in the country, all sympathetic peoples in Iran and the world and all civil structures and human rights organizations to call for unconditional release of my son. I, his old and sick mother who face difficulty visiting my son held far away in Rejaee Shahr prison in Karaj, am in a very difficult situation. I ask for all your help to assists me, within these few days of life I have left, to secure the release of my son. I brought up my children to be responsible, sympathetic, and patriotic citizens, so help me in my struggle.

In the meantime, my son who worked for 27 years for the company, was laid off without any rights or privileges. Why would they act this way with someone who has been so loyal and sympathetic to his country?

Fatemeh Golgozi

2 May 2009

International Labor Organization Should Take Action about the Repression of Workers in Iran

(8 May 2009)  The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran called for the release of all labor activists and six members of the One Million Signatures Campaign still in detention after their violent arrest on 1 May as they gathered to peacefully celebrate the International Workers’ Day, and called on the International Labor Organization (ILO) to condemn the arrests.

“The brutal and illegal treatment of workers in Iran seeking respect for their rights deserves to be protested by the ILO and members of the international community,” stated Aaron Rhodes, a spokesperson for the Campaign.

“The repression of labor activists in Iran is shameful, but so is the indifference of the international community, especially its members who pride themselves on supporting workers rights,” he added.

The Campaign specifically recommended that the Secretary General of the ILO take the case to the organization’s Expert Committee and publicly affirm that the May Day detentions, as well as Iran’s more general refusal to honor labor rights, are unacceptable, especially given Iran’s ratification of six ILO Conventions.

As previously reported, more than 100 people were arrested in Laleh Park in Tehran on 1 May. They included members of trade unions, journalists, women’s and children’s rights activists and others active on behalf of civil society. The Campaign has received reports that as many as 200 people were arrested, 19 of whom were women who were transferred to Vozara Detention Center. The names of 66 detained persons have been published by some labor organizations.

On 2 May, 25 men were released on third party guarantees, as well as two women. All remaining detainees were sent to ward 240 of Evin Prison where, according to those who were released, the detainees suffered ill-treatment.

According to the Iran Free Trade Union’s website, some of the detainees, including Jafar Azimzadeh, Shahpour Ehsani, and Bahram (Issa) Abedini, were asked to post very heavy bails of approximately 500 million Rials ($50,000).  Families of the detained women have been denied the right to visit them, reportedly on the orders of Judge Haddad, and the detained women have been barred from calling their families. None of the detained men have been allowed to contact their families.

Among the detained are five members of the One Million Signatures Campaign, including Nikzad Zanganeh, Amir Yaghoubali, Kaveh Mozafari, Pouria Poushtareh and Taha Valizadeh. Intelligence forces also arrested Jelveh Javaheri, Kaveh Mozafari’s spouse and a member of the One Million Signatures Campaign, during a search of their home at around midnight on 1 May, without presenting any warrant. She had not been present during the demonstration.  Intelligence officers have taken the keys to the house and are not permitting entry by anyone else, arousing fears that false evidence may be planted there. The homes of arrested activists Kaveh Mozafari and Amir Yaghobali were also searched.

According to the website of the Coordinating Committee to Help Form Workers Organizations, nineteen members of the Consumer Cooperative “Felezkar va Mechanic” [Metalworkers and Mechanics] were also arrested while they gathered on 1 May in Tehran. After two days, when the home of one of the members of the cooperative was searched by Intelligence forces who confiscated his personal belongings, their families were informed that they were being held in Evin Prison. Subsequent requests for information have been denied. Six workers arrested in Sanandaj on the morning of 1 May were released on 2 May on 260 million Rials ($26,000) bail each.

Since 2 May, the families of detainees have gathered in front of the detention centers and the Revolutionary Court requesting unconditional release of their relatives, and protested against heavy bail demands. Families have also sent protest letters to the head of Iran’s Judiciary and the Prosecutor’s Office, but have received no responses.

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all those detained surrounding May Day events. The Campaign urges the Judiciary to investigate the attack on demonstrators and bring those responsible for the arrests of activists to justice.

The Campaign continues to be concerned about the situations of trade union activists Mansour Osanloo, Ebrahim Maddadi and Farzad Kamangar who are still in prison for their activities and urges for the ILO to publicly call for their release.

(1 May 2009) Security and police forces violently attacked Iranian workers as they gathered in Laleh Park in Tehran to observe International Workers’ Day on May 1^st, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran reported. The demonstration had been called by ten independent labor organizations. According to information received by the Campaign more than 100 persons were arrested, and citizens not participating in the attempted May Day observance were among those beaten.

“These brutal and deplorable attacks are emblematic of the Iranian government’s utter contempt for workers and for the state’s international obligations to protect worker’s rights,” stated Hadi Ghaemi, spokesperson for the Campaign.

An eyewitness to the events in Tehran told the Campaign that she saw five police vans full of arrested people. She described the attack as follows:

“It was about 5 pm. Many people were in the Park. Usually on Fridays the park is crowded. Many people were walking around the fountain where the gathering was supposed to be held at 6pm. Without warning, two vans parked and plain-clothes agents came out of them and started to arrest people. Suddenly, I heard the call, “Long live the labor movement!” Two more vans came, and agents attacked and arrested people. As people resisted, they were beaten with batons and punched and kicked. The attack took 15 minutes after which people walked away because the park was full of security agents who would arrest anyone near the fountain.”

One of the detainees reported by cell phone from the police station in Vesal that more than 100 persons had been arrested.

Citizens detained in the incident have been transferred to different police stations and detention centers. According to the Iran Free Trade Union website, some of the well-known labor activists detained include Jafar Azimzadeh, Shahpour Ehsanirad, Maryam Mohseni and Behrouz Khabazzadeh. Other sources and eyewitnesses reported that seven members of the Association to Defend Child Workers are among detainees.

According to the Iran Free Trade Union website, another May Day gathering was scheduled to take place at 5pm in Sanandaj in Amirieh, the main square. On the morning of May 1^st, five labor rights activists were summoned to the Intelligence Office in Sanandaj and arrested in an attempt to prevent the gathering: Sedigh Karimi, Sharif Saedpanah, Majid Mohammadi, Seyed Khaled Hosseini and Zhyan Sobhani. As activists formed a group in the square, plain-clothes agents and police forces tried to collect their placards, meeting resistance from the demonstrators. The crowed started to chant, “Long live workers” and “Political prisoners should be released.” They were attacked and severely beaten by the security forces, and at least 10 were arrested. Ghayegh Key Khosravi is also among the detainees.

Other assaults on labor activists have taken place in Kurdistan in recent days. On 29 April, Karim Fateh, Ali (Omar) Minaie, and Hadi Tanoumand, members of the Coordinating Committee to Help to Establish Workers Organizations, were summoned to the Intelligence Department of the police station in Bukan. On the same day, Zhiyan Sobhani and Kourosh Bakhshandeh, members of the Committee, and Amaj Nikdel (14) were summoned to police station number 12 in Sanandaj. Sobhani, Bakhshandeh and Nikdel were previously arrested and released in Sanandaj on 17 April when they went to visit Ghaleb Hosseini, a prisoner sentenced for his May Day activists last year.

On 27 April, Yousef Bokhrabad and Vahed Resideh were questioned about May Day observances in the Intelligence Office in Mahabad. On the same day, Hassan Rasoulnejad and Ahmad Eski Baghdadi were summoned and questioned in Bukan. All these 4 workers activists are members of the Coordinating Committee to Help to Establish Workers Organizations.

The International Campaign for Human Rights is Iran appeals for the immediate release of labor activists detained as they sought to peacefully demonstrate their commitment to fair labor practices. The Campaign also notes the urgent need to release and drop charges against unfairly incarcerated Iranian labor activists, including Mansour Osanloo, Ebrahim Maddadi, Farzad Kamangar and Ghaleb Hosseini.

(30 April 2009) Iranian workers will observe May 1^st, International Workers’ Day, as the government increases its suppression of independent labor movements, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said in a new report (available in Persian) today.

During the past year, workers previously attempting to celebrate May Day were prosecuted, and sentenced to prison and lashings. The prominent labor leader Mansour Ossanloo remains in prison, as well as other labor organizers including Ebrahim Maddadi, Farzad Kamangar, and Ghaleb Husseini. On 16 April 2009, more than 73 workers in the city of Sanandaj were arrested as they met privately to plan May Day celebrations.

“May Day provides Iranian workers a chance to put forward their demands and to express solidarity with one another publicly. To deny them the right to have independent, non-governmental celebrations, and to arrest and prosecute them for this, is a violation of their freedom of expression and their right to assembly and association, which are guaranteed under International Labor Organization conventions of which Iran is a member,” said Hadi Ghaemi, the Campaign’s spokesperson.

The report documents the repression of various independent labor organizations, including:

• summons, arrests and prosecutions of workers and members of the Haft Tapeh Sugar Factory;
• arrests, sentencing and imprisonment of members of the Tehran Bus Drivers Union;
• summons and imprisonment of members of the Free Workers Union;
• summons, detentions and prosecutions of other labor activists and journalists covering labor-related news;
• banning teachers’ professional associations and central coordinating committee, and detentions and prosecutions of teachers.

Last year, two workers planning to participate in May Day celebrations, Ghaleb Husseini and Abdulah Khani, were arrested and prosecuted in the city of Sanandaj. On 21 February 2009, Husseini was sentenced to six months imprisonment and 50 lashes, and Khani was sentenced to 91 days in prison and 40 lashes. Both lashing sentences were carried out on the same day, and they were subsequently taken to Sanandaj central prison to serve their sentences.

On 16 April 2009, more than 70 workers visited the family of Ghaleb Husseini to express solidarity with his family and to plan for upcoming May Day celebrations. Security forces attacked Ghalibi’s home, detaining all of those present. After fingerprinting the detainees and interrogating them, the detainees were released in the evening.

On 23 April 2009, eight workers in the city of Naghadeh and members of a coordinating committee were summoned to the local intelligence office. They were interrogated about their plans to celebrate May Day and intimidated in an attempt to prevent any celebrations. The eight workers are: Sadiq Khosravi; Khosrow Bukani; Omar Ismail-pour; Ebrahim Esmail-pour; Asaad Mowlud-pour; Jalil Sharifian; Khalil Sharifian; and Mustafa Sharifi.

Ten independent labor organizations, having formed the Committee to Celebrate May Day, have called for a public celebration in Laleh Park in Tehran on May Day. The Free Workers Union has also announced that representatives of ten factories, together with Tohid Hospital workers in Sanandaj, wrote a letter on 20 April 2009 asking local city officials to issue a permit for public celebrations. So far the authorities have not replied to this letter.

Noting attacks on independent workers celebrating May Day in previous years, and their arrests and prosecutions, the Campaign expresses its serious concerns regarding the possible repeat of such actions during upcoming May Day events. The Campaign urges the Iranian authorities to allow independent workers organizations to hold peaceful public assemblies on this day, in accordance with rights guaranteed by the Iranian constitution as well as Iran’s obligations under international treaties and ILO conventions. The government should immediately issue permits for May Day assemblies and prevent any attacks or violence directed at participants.