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.

Ali Nejati

Ali Nejati Held in Solitary Confinement in the Intelligence Detention Center in Ahwaz

(9 April 2009) The month-long detention and solitary confinement of Ali Nejati, President of the Haft Tapeh Sugar Cane Union, is without legal justification, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said today. Nejati’s whereabouts were finally revealed after his wife visited him at the Intelligence Detention Center in Ahwaz on 6 April 2009. She was allowed to see him for only a few minutes.

Ali Nejati was arrested by Intelligence officials at his home on 8 March 2009. His lawyer, Mohammad Olyaeifard, informed the Campaign that he only learned of his client’s case and whereabouts on 6 April. He was told that Branch Two of the Security Prosecution Court in Shoush (a township in the southeast Iran) filed a case against Nejati and that he was being held in solitary confinement in the Intelligence Detention Center in Ahwaz. Nejati, according to his wife, is being interrogated on charges for which he was previously tried and sentenced. While Nejati’s health condition is satisfactory, his wife says he suffers from high blood pressure.

“Detention, solitary confinement and interrogation of trade unionists for their peaceful activities will not address Iran’s economic and labor crisis. Ill- treatment of Ali Nejati will not solve any problems, and is yet another violation of Iran’s international obligation to support worker’s rights,” said Hadi Ghaemi, the Campaign’s spokesperson.

Workers of the Haft Tapeh Sugar Cane Complex went on a one-day strike on 7 April 2009, where they called for the immediate release of Ali Nejati as well as recoupment of unpaid wages.

Olyaeifard, Nejati’s lawyer, told the Campaign: “The detention and interrogation of a person who has already been prosecuted for the same charges is illegal.” Olyaeifard is submitting a legal statement to the Judiciary, demonstrating that Nejati’s detention and interrogation are unlawful since he is being interrogated again for past charges, and stating that if Nejati is guilty of a new crime he should be legally arraigned in the presence of his legal representative.

Nejati, along with four other members of the Executive Board of the Union, was previously prosecuted on 17 and 23 February 2009. The attorney for the four board members has yet to be officially informed of the results of their trial.

In recent years, Iranian authorities have implemented highly repressive policies to suppress independent trade-unionist movements in Iran. Two leading members of the Tehran Bus Workers’ Union, Mansour Osanloo and Ebrahim Madadi, are currently in prison serving sentences related to their trade union activities. Mohsen Hakimi, a labor activist and member of the Iranian Writers Association, was detained without charge on 22 December 2008. On 18 February 2009, two female labor activists, Sussan Razani and Shiva Kheirabadi, were flogged for celebrating May Day.

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran called on Iranian authorities to respect national and international labor rights and release all imprisoned trade unionists, including Ali Nejati, Mansour Osanloo, Ebrahim Madadi, Mohsen Hakimi and Farzad Kamangar. The Campaign reminded Iranian authorities of their obligations and commitments to guarantee workers’ rights to establish and join independent trade unions under the International Labor Organization convention.

UPDATE: (September 5, 2008) Farzad Kamangar’s death sentence was officially confirmed on 11 July 2008. Despite international pressure, Mr. Kamangar was transferred to Section 209 of Evin Prison on 27 July 2008. Section 209 is outside the jurisdiction of the National Prison System and is under the management of Intelligence Ministry agents.

Farzad Kamangar (32), a Kurdish teacher and social worker in the city of Kamyaran, is sentenced to death based on “absolutely zero evidence,” according to his lawyer.The Revolutionary Court prosecuted Kamangar on charges of membership in the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK). The court issued a death sentence for Kamangar on February 25, 2008. Khalil Bahramian, Kamangar’s lawyer, said: “Nothing in Kamangar’s judicial files and records demonstrates any links to the charges brought against him.”

Bahramian, who was present during the closed-door court hearing, described it as “lasting no more than five minutes, with the Judge issuing his sentence without any explanation and then promptly leaving the room.” He added, “I have seen absolutely zero evidence presented against Kamangar. In my forty years of legal profession, I have never witnessed such a prosecution.”

Bahramian is appealing the death sentence. He believes, given the complete lack of evidence, that the Judiciary should cancel the sentence.

Security forces detained Kamangar in July 2006, shortly after he arrived in Tehran from Kamyaran. The authorities originally investigated him in relation to two people he rode with during his trip to Tehran.

Kamangar was cleared of all charges during the investigation process. It is not clear why the prosecution decided to put him on trial on charges of membership in P.K.K., given that it has presented no evidence. Bahramian said the prosecution and death sentence are an indication of “discrimination against Kurds” within the judicial system.

Since his arrest, the authorities held Kamangar in various prisons in Kermanshah, Sanandaj, and Tehran. In a letter written in Sanandaj prison in October 2007, Kamangar detailed his torture and ill-treatment. During visits by his family and lawyer, he also exhibited signs of torture.

Kamangar’s  lawyer, Khalil Bahramian, told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that he as able to meet with Kamanagar today at Evin Prison. According to Bahramian, Kamangar’s appeal is still under review and his sentence cannot be implemented. The Campaign called on the Iranian authorities to cancel his sentence and immediately release Kamangar as the prosecutor has produced no evidence against him on charges of membership in the armed Kurdish group PKK.

The nongovernmental organization Iran Human Rights (http://iranhr.net/spip.php?article794 ) quoted Iranian media reports that the 10 executed persons were convicted of murder, robbery, and kidnapping.

After China, Iran carries out more executions than any other country. Since President Ahmadinejad took office, executions in Iran have increased 300 percent. Although authorities routinely justify the high number of executions as necessary for public safety and as a crime-fighting measure, there are no indications that such policies have reduced serious crimes in Iran.

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran opposes capital punishment in all circumstances as a violation of the right to life and due to its cruelty and irreversibility, and believes it only promotes further violence throughout the society.

The Campaign is appealing to Iranian judicial authorities to halt the execution, and asking members of the international community urgently to intervene. Kamangar (32), from the city of Kamyaran, was sentenced to death based on “absolutely zero evidence,” according to his lawyer.The Revolutionary Court prosecuted Kamangar on charges of membership in the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK). The court issued a death sentence for Kamangar on February 25, 2008. Khalil Bahramian, Kamangar’s lawyer, has said: “Nothing in Kamangar’s judicial files and records demonstrates any links to the charges brought against him.”

Security forces detained Kamangar in July 2006, shortly after he arrived in Tehran from Kamyaran. The authorities originally investigated him in relation to two people he rode with during his trip to Tehran.

Kamangar was cleared of all charges during the investigation process. It is not clear why the prosecution decided to put him on trial on charges of membership in the PKK, given that it had presented no evidence.

For more information about Kamangar see:

http://www.iranhumanrights.org/2009/01/farzad-kamangar/

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31 July 2008

Your Excellency,

We are writing this open letter to express our concerns about serious violations of international and Iranian standards in the trial of Farzad Kamangar, whose death sentence of 25 February 2008 by Branch 30 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court has reportedly been upheld and confirmed by the Supreme Court.

In imparting our concerns we also appeal to you to commute the sentence and order a new investigation and trial under your supervision, both to ensure justice in this case and to protect the integrity of the Judiciary itself.

Allow us to summarize briefly:

Security agents arrested Mr. Kamangar around July 2006 in Tehran. Mr. Kamangar was held incommunicado for seven months, and even after that, contacts to his family were very limited; there have been none since the beginning of the Persian New Year, 21 March 2008. Being held incommunicado violates Principle 19 of the United Nations Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1988.

Mr. Kamangar has been denied access to his lawyer, before, during and after his trial, which violates Principles 17 and 18 of the Body of Principles, as well as Article 14 (3) (b) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which the Islamic Republic of Iran ratified on 24 June 1975

While the charges against him have been changed in the course of his case, Mr. Kamangar has been denied any and all information concerning the case against him. This violates Article 9 (2) of ICCPR, as well as Principles 10 and 11 of the Body of Principles.

Evidence confirmed by multiple sources strongly suggests that Mr. Kamangar has been tortured during his detention. Your Excellency, we do not need to remind you that torture, as well as ill-treatment in detention, are egregious violations of human rights, and prohibited by Article 7 of the ICCPR.

Your Excellency, we are confident that an objective review of Mr. Kamangar’s trial will lead to the conclusion that no factual evidence whatsoever was presented in support of the charges against him. According to his attorney, there is no evidence confirming the charge against him (Mohareb, taking up arms against state) in his interrogation records, his file, in the prosecutor’s presentation in court or in the judges ‘decision.

Indeed, Mr. Kamangar was reportedly informed that he had been identified by intelligence and security officials as Mohareb prior to his trial.

It appears that the result of this trial was prepared in advance and that the trial was staged in order to give the appearance of a proper legal process leading to this result. Mr. Kamangar was not allowed the possibility to prepare a defense, and he was afforded no fair hearing before an impartial court. His trial in Branch 30 of Revolutionary Court in Tehran lasted no more than seven (7) minutes, three (3) of which were consumed by the reading of the indictment against him by the prosecutor. Neither Mr. Kamangar nor his lawyer was permitted to speak at his trial. Thus, Article 14 of the ICCPR was violated.

While no evidence was presented to justify the charges against him and his conviction, the procedure and trial regrettably suggest political motivations on the part of his accusers, and failure or unwillingness by the courts independently to assess guilt or innocence.

Your Excellency, the life of a person hangs in the balance and is dependent on your decision. Given these grave violations of international standards and those governing the judicial system of the Islamic Republic, we sincerely hope you will give positive consideration to a review of the case as we have proposed above.

We are grateful for your attention to our concerns.

Sincerely,

Dr. Hadi Ghaemi
Coordinator
International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran

Kamangar, whose February 2008 death sentence on charges of Mohareb, or taking up arms against the State, is considered a prisoner of conscience by the Campaign. His sentence has been confirmed by the Supreme Court and he may be executed at any time.

In the letter, the Campaign detailed that Kamangar had been held incommunicado for much of his imprisonment; that he had been denied access to his lawyer before, during and after the trial, and denied information about the charges against him; and that Kamangar had been tortured in detention. Kamangar is accused of membership in the armed group P.K.K., which is a Kurdish group fighting against the government of Turkey.

Kamangar’s trial lasted only seven minutes, during which neither he nor his lawyer was allowed to speak, and Kamangar thus had no opportunity to defend himself. According to his lawyer, no evidence whatsoever was produced to support the charges against him.

According to the Campaign, “It appears that the result of this trial was prepared in advance and that the trial was staged in order to give the appearance of a proper legal process leading to this result… the procedure and trial regrettably suggest political motivations on the part of his accusers, and failure or unwillingness by the courts independently to assess guilt or innocence.”

The Campaign urged Ayatollah Shahroudi to immediately act in suspending Kamangar’s sentence and ordering a fair and independent investigation, “both to ensure justice in this case and to protect the integrity of the Judiciary itself.”

The Revolutionary Court prosecuted Farzad Kamangar (32), a teacher and social worker in the city of Kamyaran, on charges of membership in the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK). The court issued a death sentence for Kamangar on February 25, 2008.“Kamangar’s prosecution is an absolute miscarriage of justice. This sentence is issued with complete disregard for minimum standards of due process. It is akin to an extrajudicial execution,” the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said.

Khalil Bahramian, Kamangar’s lawyer, said: “Nothing in Kamangar’s judicial files and records demonstrates any links to the charges brought against him.”

Bahramian, who was present during the closed-door court hearing, described it as “lasting no more than five minutes, with the Judge issuing his sentence without any explanation and then promptly leaving the room.” He added, “I have seen absolutely zero evidence presented against Kamangar. In my forty years of legal profession, I have never witnessed such a prosecution.”

Bahramian is appealing the death sentence. He believes, given the complete lack of evidence, that the Judiciary should cancel the sentence.

Security forces detained Kamangar in July 2006, shortly after he arrived in Tehran from Kamyaran. The authorities originally investigated him in relation to two people he rode with during his trip to Tehran.

Kamangar was cleared of all charges during the investigation process. It is not clear why the prosecution decided to put him on trial on charges of membership in P.K.K., given that it has presented no evidence. Bahramian said the prosecution and death sentence are an indication of “discrimination against Kurds” within the judicial system.

Since his arrest, the authorities held Kamangar in various prisons in Kermanshah, Sanandaj, and Tehran. In a letter written in Sanandaj prison in October 2007, Kamangar detailed his torture and ill-treatment. During visits by his family and lawyer, he also exhibited signs of torture.

The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran called on the Iranian Judiciary to immediately investigate and hold accountable the judge who issued his death sentence based on no evidence as well as interrogators and prison officials responsible for Kamangar’s torture.

“A judge who sends innocent people to the gallows without a shred of evidence should be removed from his post and prosecuted,” the Campaign said.