Support for the Workers in Iran

Support for the Workers in Iran at the Solidarity Week of the International Transport Workers’ Federation

To: The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF)

Dear Comrades

We have been informed that your federation has decided on a number of actions in defense of Mansoor Asanlou, the chairperson of the Union of Municipal Transportation Workers of Tehran and the Vicinities, during week of solidarity with transport workers of the world between October 15th and October 22nd.

The International Labor Solidarity Committee of the Worker-communist Party of Iran appreciates this decision. This is another valuable step following the international campaign to free Mansoor Asanlou and Mahmood Salehi that was called on by your federation and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) on August 9.

As you may know, beside Asanlou, the Islamic Republic has also detained Ebrahim Madadi and Mahmoud Salehi. Ebrahim Madadi is a member of executive committee of the Union of Municipal Transportation Workers of Tehran and the Vicinities. He has been arrested on August 9, the day of international support for workers in Iran, and has been in prison since then. Mahmoud Salehi, one the well-known worker leaders of city of Saqez in province of Kurdistan, has been imprisoned by the Islamic Republic for more than seven month despite the malfunction of his only kidney, which threatens his life. Mahmoud Salehi had formerly been detained and imprisoned two more times.

Nevertheless, eleven workers that had been arrested on May Day were sentenced to 90 days of imprisonment and 10 lashes. Their names are Khaled Savari, Eqbal Latifi, Yadollah Moradi, Tayyeb Molayei, Fars Goveyliyan, Sadiq Amjadi, Habibullah Kalkani, Muhiyiddin Rajabi, Tayyeb Chatani, Sadiq Sobhani, and Abbas Andaryari. Two well-known worker leaders in Sanandaj, Sheys Amani and Sadiq Karimi, have been sentenced to 2.5 years of prison. Five other worker activists, Ata Hosseini, Rahim Hosseini, Kamel Hakimi, Khaled Bikhali, and Anwar Hosseiynzadeh, who had been arrested during the demonstration for release of Mahmoud Salehi, have been sentenced to 40 lashes and 91 days of prison.

Ending oppression and threats against Iranian worker activists; unconditional and immediate release of detained worker leaders Mahmoud Salehi, Mansour Asanlou, and Ebrahim Madadi; condemnation and prohibition of lashing worker activists; condemnation of the attacks against workers’ protests are among the urgent demands of the workers in Iran. In the week of solidarity with transport workers of the world these demands should be emphasized as the headlines of international solidarity with the workers in Iran:

1-Unconditional and immediate release of detained worker leaders Mahmoud Salehi, Mansour Asanlou, and Ebrahim Madadi;

2-Abolition of prison and lash sentence against the workers that were detained on May Day in Saqez and Sanandaj, and stopping such sentences against workers;

3-Ending oppressions and threats against the worker leaders and activists in Iran;

4-Condemnation of the attacks of police forces to workers’ protests; a recent example of such atrocity is the attack against the picket lines of Shoushtar Paper Factory and Karoun Sugar Factory workers almost a month ago.

In solidarity;

Shahla Daneshfar
Coordinator of the International Labor Solidarity Committee of the Worker-communist Party of Iran
October 14, 2007