Continued harassment of trade-unionists ahead of International Labour Day

Over the past two days, severalleading independent unionists have been arrested in Iran: Messrs. MahmoodSalehi, founding member of Bakers Association in the City of Saqqez and OsmanEsmaeili, spokesperson of the Committee for Defending Imprisoned LabourActivists in Mahabad, were both arrested on April 28; Mr. Pedram Nasrollahi,member of the Coordinating Committee to Help Form Workers’ Organisations, wasdetained in Sanandaj on April 29; and Messrs. Ebrahim Madadi and DavoodRazavi, respectively deputy president and Board member of the Syndicate ofthe United Bus Company of Tehran and Suburbs (known as ‘Sherkat Vahed’),were arrested in Tehran early in the morning on April 29. Messrs. Madadi andRazavi are believed to be in detention in Ward 209 of Evin prison, which isunder the administration of the Ministry of Intelligence[1].

On theother hand, Mr. Jafar Azimzadeh, secretary of Board of Directors of the FreeUnion of Iranian Workers (FUIW), was summoned to the Ministry of Intelligenceon 29 April. He was released after several hours of questioning about “thejoint resolution of independent unions for May 1” and a big rally the FUIWorganised in front the Parliament on 28 April. During the rally, which severalhundred retired teachers also joined, the participants had echoed theresolution’s demands, and finally formally submitted it to the Parliament afterit was read out by one of the organisers.

These arrests came in the wake ofpublic statements issued by a number of independent unions this past week, inwhich they outlined their grievances and demands. In the 17-point “jointresolution of independent workers’ groups and organisations for May 1, 2015”, whichseven groups[2]signed, the unions called on the government to:

- raise the government-set minimum wage for thecurrent year by almost four times to cover the costs of living and to match thepoverty line;

- lift restrictions on forming independent workers’organisations;

- allow unconditional freedom of assembly,expression and opinion, especially for parties and the press, including for theorganisation of strikes and protests ;

- provide job security through full coverage ofthe Labour Code for all workers;

- raise the safety standards employers mustprovide for workers;

- abolish discriminatory laws against women andestablish full equality of men and women;

- abolish the death penalty and flogging;

- abolish all the laws discriminating againstwomen;

- abolish child labour;

- release all political prisoners, and imprisonedworkers and stop judicial prosecutions against them;

- designate May 1 as a public holiday and lift allrestrictions on its celebration.

While the latest arrests arebelieved to be aimed at preventing the free and independent celebration of May1, independent unionists and unions have already been facing great pressureover the past year, largely because of the growing protests and strikes atdifferent factories and plants across the country . By some accounts, therehave been more than 360 strikes, demonstrations and other forms of protestorganised in the past 12 months against layoffs and demanding timely payment ofwages, wage increases, and improvements in contracts and working conditions.

The authorities have beenfrequently summoning and threatening a number of labour activists over the pastfew months, while several others havebeen arrested. Some of them have been released after a month or two in detentionand are likely to be tried soon. In such cases, unionists are most oftencharged with offences such as acting against national security, spreadingpropaganda against the State, insulting the Leader etc.

As of April 30, 2015, at least25 unionists were serving prisons terms after grossly unfair trials, or wereotherwise detained in Evin prison (Tehran), Rajaishahr prison (near Karaj),Mahabad prison, and Sanandaj prison (western Iran) awaiting trial.

Unionists in detention, forunclear reasons, in addition to the five individuals detained on April 28 and29, include:

- six members of the Coordinating Committee toHelp Form Workers’ Organisations (CCHFWO) arrested in the western city ofSanandaj in March and April: Reza Amjadi (arrested April 25), HamedMahmoodnejad (arrested April 18), Aram Zandi and Fuad Zandi (botharrested April 14), Nezam Sadeghi (arrested April 8), and KuroshBakhshandeh (arrested March 7).

- In addition, Mr. Saeed Shirzad, anotherlabour and child rights activist, was arrested in the North-Western city ofTabriz on June 2, 2014 and spent two months in solitary confinement. He hasbeen transferred to Rajaishahr prison, but has not been tried yet.

There are at least 13unionists who have been convicted of crimes related to their work defendinglabour rights and are currently serving prison terms[3],including:

- Mr. Reza Shahabi Zakaria, Treasurer ofthe Syndicate of Workers of United Bus Company of Tehran (serving a 6 yearprison sentence);

- Messrs. Shahrokh Zamani and MohammadJarrahi, two members of CPELU and founding members of the Painters andDecorators Union (serving 11.5 years and 5 years imprisonment respectively);

- Messrs. Yousef Ab-Kharabat, VahedSeyedeh, and Ribvar Abdollahi, members of the CCHFWO (serving 2years, 2 years and 1 year respectively);

- Messrs. Mahmood Bagheri and AbdolrezaGhabari, two members of the TAI (sentenced to 4.5 years and 15 yearsrespectively).

- Mr. Alireza Hashemi, secretary-general ofIranian Teachers Organisation, was convicted in 2010 to 5 years in prison oncharges of “acting against national security” and “spreading propaganda againstthe State,” but he was never summoned to prison to serve his sentence. On April19, 2015, Mr. Hashemi was finally arrested in Tehran in order to serve hisprison sentence. The authorities apparently decided to implement his sentencein the wake of massive demonstrations of teachers demanding a pay rise in frontof the Parliament in the capital Tehran as well as outside the EducationDepartments of numerous cities in late March 2015.

- Ms. Manijeh Sadeghi, women’s rights,child rights, and labour activist, was arrested in Sanandaj on 30 March toserve a 91-day prison sentence.

- Mr. Behnam (Assad) Ebrahimzadeh, a memberof the Committee to Pursue the Establishment of Labour Unions (CPELU) and achild rights activist, is serving a five-year prison sentence since June 2010[4].

- Mr. Rassoul Bodaghi, Board member ofTeachers Association of Iran (TAI), is serving a 6-year prison sentence inRajaishahr prison,

- Mr. Mehdi Farahi-Shandiz, a member ofthe CPELU and of the TAI, was serving a three-yearprison sentence which he completed in late October 2014, but the authoritiesrefused to release him.

Of the above imprisonedunionists, some have been facing further judicial harassment while in prison:

- Mr. Behnam (Assad) Ebrahimzadeh issuffering from neck and back problems and suffered internal bleeding in lateMarch. Officials of Rajaishahr prison have transferred him to a prison ward forcommon criminals, contrary to the provisions of the Prison Code. In December2014, Mr. Ebrahimzadeh was notified that he faced an additional 9 years and 4.5months in prison for charges including contacts with UN Special RapporteurAhmed Shaheed, and contacts with an opposition group abroad, the latter ofwhich he has denied in absolute terms.

- Mr. Rassoul Bodaghi is slated to completehis prison sentence and be released in about three months. He was summoned by ajudge on April 25 and April 26, where he was informed of new complaints filedagainst him by the Prosecutor’s Office and the Ministry of Intelligence. He waswarned that those complaints could be retracted ‘if he announced in aninterview his withdrawal from activities of teachers. On April 26, Mr. Bodaghiwas transferred from his cell to an unknown location and his whereabouts werestill unknown as of April 30.

- Mr. Mehdi Farahi-Shandiz was notreleased when his prison sentence was completed in late October 2014. OnJanuary 3, 2015 he was tried for allegedly“insulting the Leader“ and was sentenced to another prison sentence of threeyears.

Other unionists, who have beensentenced to prison terms or other punishments for their work defending labourrights, include:

- Messrs Yadollah Samadi and EghbalShabani, members of CCHFWO and Board members of Bakers Association ofSanandaj and Suburbs, were sentenced to 30 lashes in late March, and afive-month prison sentence against them was suspended for five years. Another CCHFWO member, Mr. MehrdadAmin-Vaziri, was said to have been sentenced to imprisonment of 5 years and91 days. In March 2015, Mr. Jafar Azimzadeh, secretary of the Board ofDirectors of the Free Union of Iranian Workers, was sentenced to six yearsimprisonment and a two year ban on all kinds of activities, on charges of“acting against national security” and “spreading propaganda against theState.” Mr. Jamil Mohammadi, another member of the same Union, wassentenced to three years and six months imprisonment and a fine on charges of“acting against national security”. They are waiting for the outcome of theirappeals.

- Mr. Khaled Hosseini, member of CCHFWO, andtwo senior members of the TAI, Messrs. Ali-Akbar Baghani, and MahmoodBeheshti-Langaroudi, have been sentenced to prison terms and are awaitingthe outcome of their appeals.

- Prison sentences have also been upheld againstseveral members of the CCHFWO, who are at risk of arrest: Messrs. HassanRassoulnejad (sentenced to 1 year), Jamal Minashiri and HadiTanoumand (sentenced to 3.5 years each), Ghassem Mostafapour, EbrahimMostafapour and Mohammad Karimi (sentenced to 2 years each).

The Observatory and LDDHI call upon the Iranian authorities to releaseimmediately and unconditionally all the above-mentioned unionists, as theirdetentions are arbitrary and appear only aimed at sanctioning their legitimatehuman rights activities. The Observatory and LDDHI also call on the Iranianauthorities to put an end to any kind of harassment - including at the judiciallevel – against the above-menbtioned unionists and any other human rightsdefenders in Iran.

For more information, please contact:

· FIDH: ArthurManet/Lucie Kroening: + 33 (0) 1 43 55 25 18

· OMCT: Miguel MartínZumalacárregui: + 41 (0) 22 809 49 24

[1] Messrs. Madadi, Razavi, Salehi, andNasrollahi have been detained or served prison terms in previous years and beenaddressed in Observatory press releases and Urgent Appeals, e.g. Urgent Appealof December 21, 2007, and Press Release of December 2, 2011, UA of July 6, 2012

[2] These are: Free Union of Iranian Workers(FUIW), Kermanshah Electrical and Metal Workers Association, Syndicate ofWorkers of Haft-Tappeh Cane Sugar Company, Alborz Province Painters andDecorators Union, Defenders of Workers Rights Centre, Committee to Pursue theEstablishment of Labour Unions (CPELU), and Coordinating Committee to Help FormWorkers’ Organisations (CCHFWO). The largest independent union, Syndicate ofWorkers of the United Bus Company of Tehran and Suburbs, with a reportedmembership of half of the company’s workforce, i.e. nearly 10,000, issued aseparate resolution, which largely concentrated on economic and the Syndicate’sspecific issues.

[3] For more information and cases of otherunionists, see the Observatory Urgent Appeal of January 23, 2015

[4] For more information and cases of other unionists, see theObservatory Urgent Appeal of January 23, 2015, and the Observatory PressRelease of April 30, 2014.