Union Activists in Iran - Repression Continues

Iran Labor Report

August 18, 2010

http://iranlaborreport.com/?p=1248

The massive crackdown on the independent labor activists
continues in Iran. Several leaders and activists in the
union movement remain in jails while others have been
subject to summons and terminations from their jobs. A
sketch of the repression of the independent union activism
in today's Iran follows.

Mansour Osaloo, the legendary leader of the Tehran and
Suburbs Vahed Bus Workers Syndicate, was taken to court on
August 1 and tried under the pretext of having connections
with the illegal opposition groups. The trial lasting an
hour and ten minutes commenced at 9:00 a.m. at the branch
one revolutionary court in the city of Karaj. At the trial,
Osaloo did not have his lawyers present and they were also
uninformed about the court session.

While the Iranian Labor Minister had given a promise of
release of Osaloo to ILO, the Vahed Union leader remains in
jail and new cases filed against him. At the said court
session, Osaloo was sentenced to a new one year term. He is
currently serving a five year term in Karaj Gohardasht
prison. His attorneys will file a petition against the
ruling within the twenty day period allowed.

Ebrahim Maddadi, the deputy head of the Vahed Bus Workers
Syndicate also remains in jail. Maddadi is serving a 3.5
year sentence along with Osaloo.

Reza Shahabi, the secretary treasurer of the Syndicate, in a
brief phone conversation with his family informed them of an
additional two month extension of his incarceration. Reza
Shahabi was abducted on June 12 by the intelligence ministry
operatives and taken to the solitary confinement in the Ward
209 of the Evin prison. He has been denied any family visits
since and has only had a few brief monitored phone
conversations with his family.

Saeed Torabian, the director of public relations at the
syndicate, who was freed on a large bail on July 19, has
been facing various pressures since his release. Saeed
Torabian spent from June 9 to July 19 in prisons due to his
illegal detention by the intelligence ministry officials in
Iran.

On August 17, Homayoun Jaberi, an activist with the Vahed
Syndicate received a one year suspended term following his
arrest at the 2009 May Day celebration event in Park Laleh
Tehran.

On July 22, Gholamreza Gholamhosseini, an activist with the
Vahed Bus Workers Syndicate, was suspended and his wages and
benefits were also put on hold. The 44 year old
Gholamhosseini was arrested following the Vahed bus workers
strike in 2005 and spent several weeks in prison. He was
suspended for four years before being reinstated six months
ago. He is married with three children.

Gholamhosseini is among many Vahed labor activists who have
been facing the wrath of the regime because of their union
activism. Several labor activists with the Haft Tapeh Sugar
Cane Workers Syndicate also await their reinstatement
following expulsions due to their union activities.

The crackdown on the Vahed union activists is not confined
to just their intimidation. The families of these activists
have also been under target. While the abduction and torture
of Osaloo's daughter in law has been reported, several other
Vahed union activist families have been under heavy economic
pressures.

The Free Assembly of Iranian Workers reports that Sadigh
Karimi, a member of the board of directors, and Foad
Keikhosravi, an activist member of the union have been
summoned to appear once again at the branch one
revolutionary court in the city of Sanandaj on September 22.
The two activists appeared on July 20 at that court.

Seven labor activists with the Coordinating Committee to
Facilitate Creation of Workers Organizations in Iran, Fattah
Soleimani, Hossein Piroti, Samad Ahmadpour, Rahman Tanha,
Rahman Ebrahimzadeh, Isa Ebrahimzadeh, and Abbas Hashempour
were found not guilty of charges in a court hearing by the
branch one of the Urumiyeh revolutionary court on August 16.
They were arrested on February 29 and spent twelve days in
prison.

The Coordinating Committee also has reported on the trials
of two labor activists, Vafa Ghaderi and Sadigh Sobhani in
the city of Sanandaj. Additionally, Khosrow Boukani, an
activist in the city of Naghadeh, has been sentenced to a
two year sentence and Kaveh Golmohammadi in Kamyaran has
started serving his term in the city of Sanandaj.

Rasoul Bodaghi, a member of the board of directors of the
Iranian Teachers Trade Association, was sentenced to six
years in prison and five years denial of activities on
August 3. He has been sentenced to one year in prison for
"propaganda against the system" and five years for "assembly
and attempt to disturb the national security". His court
session was held on July 14. Bodaghi has been in jail since
September 2009. His sentence is being appealed by his
attorney.

Ali Akbar Baghani and Mahmoud Beheshti Langarudi, the
general secretary and the spokesperson of the Teachers
Association were released earlier on July following 63 days
of incarceration. Mokhtar Assadi, Mohammad Bagheri, Esmael
Abdi, and Hashem Khastar are other teacher unionists who
remain in prisons. Abdolreza Ghanbari a teacher unionist is
jailed with the death penalty pronounced against him. This
is extremely alarming since the earlier execution of Farzad
Kamangar on May 9.

Behnam Ebrahimzadeh and Mehdi Farahi Shandiz, members of the
Pursueing Committee for the Formation of Free Workers
Organizations in Iran, remain held incommunicado. Mehdi
Farahi Shandiz has been in jail since June 1, 2010. He is
one of the labor activists arrested during the May Day
ceremonies of 2009 in Tehran. Paying a visit to the branch 8
of the revolutionary court to collect his personal
belongings, he was met with "inhumane treatment" which led
to his protest. He was then taken to the notorious Kahrizak
prison in south of Tehran under baseless accusations of
disturbing the peace.

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