SIGN PETITION CONDEMNING OSANLOU’S DEATH
The regime in Iran is responsible for his death
Afshin Osanlou, an inter-city bus driver, prominent labour activist and brother of bus workers’ union leader Mansoor Osanlou, died of cardiac arrest in Rajaee Shahr Prison in Iran on Friday 21st June. He was only 42. According to his family, Afshin had no history of heart disease. He was arrested in the autumn of 2010, tortured and given a five-year sentence for his labour activities. According to his sister, Afshin died before reaching hospital. All indications are that Afshin Osanlou has been murdered by the regime. This is not the first time that a dissident activist dies in prison in Iran. The following are some of the activists and political dissidents who in recent years have died in Iran’s prisons:
*Sattar Beheshti *Hodi Saaber *Zahra Bani Yaghoub *Mohsen Dogmechi *Mansoor Raadpoor *Zahra Kazemi *Omid Reza Mirsiafi *Heshmat Saaran *Alborz Ghasemi *Akbar Mohammadi and *Ali Akbar Saeedi Sirjani.
Harassment and torture of political prisoners and the inhuman prison conditions are behind many of the physical and psychological ailments affecting political prisoners in Iran, and which the judicial authorities stop from being treated. The death of Afshin Osanlou is a warning about the threats facing political prisoners in Iran.
By its persecution of activists, by its physical and psychological tortures, by its inhuman prison conditions, by its denial of medical care for prisoners suffering from ill health, the regime in Iran is responsible for the deaths of jailed labour activists and political prisoners.
We condemn the Islamic Republic regime for the murder of Afshin Osanlou.
We call for the immediate release of all jailed workers and political prisoners in Iran.
We call for the provision of urgent and proper medical care for all jailed workers and political prisoners in Iran.
We join the families of political prisoners in demanding an end to the deadly conditions in Iran’s prisons, implementation of appropriate safeguards for prisoners’ health and safety and protection of their rights in accordance with internationally recognised standards.
28 June 2013
Free Them Now! Campaign to Free Jailed Workers in Iran
Shahla Daneshfar (shahla_daneshfar@yahoo.com)
Bahram Soroush (bahram.soroush@gmail.com)
Oppression is never acceptable – oppression by murder is criminal. In a fair and decent world, the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran would face charges before the ICC.