Recently an intensified new round of summons, detentions and imprisonment of labor activists and workers has begun.
Seven labor activists: Khaled Hosseini, vafa Ghaderi, Ali Azadi, Ghaleb Hosseini, Behzad farajolahi, and Hamed Mahmoud Nejad members of the Coordinating Committee to help Form Workers´ Organizations and Sharif Saad Panah, a member of the free Union of workers in Iran, have been arrested and jailed, a number of other labor activists have been intimidated, threatened or summoned.
These threats and arrests occurs while Mohammad Jarahi, Fariborz Rees Dana, Shahrokh Zamani, Pedram Nasrolahi, Rasol Badaghi, Abdolreza Ghanbari and many other political and labor activists are still in prison.
Labor activists are arrested and prosecuted while the hard working people and impecunious people live in wretched situation and the purchasing power of the working class decrease from day to day and they relinquished all hope.
In such circumstances the workers and labor activists have no other way than creating their independent labor organizations for claiming their demands and rights. The labor activists and workers, who keep the wheels of the economy turning, do not deserve to be in prison for struggling and demanding a decent life. They should not be in prison!
These workers should be with their family, children and colleagues, especially at new year day (today begins the Iranian new year).
I and the working class will defend the imprisoned workers and condemn detention and intimidation of workers.
We appeal to all foreign and domestic workers, labour organizations, social and human rights institutions to protest the enduring detention and intimidation of all imprisoned workers in every possible way.
March 19, 2013
Reza Shahabi
Board member and treasurer of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Drivers Vahed
