Dear colleagues and friends:
As you may be aware, following a worldwide campaign, Iran’s Islamic regime was forced to free on bail seven labour activists they had detained for taking part in this year’s May Day rally in the city of Saghez, Western Iran. However, these activists have now been summoned to appear before court. They are:
The hearing has been set for
23rd September, having been postponed from the earlier date of 22nd
August.
Five of the activists, namely, Hadi Tanoumand, Borhan Divargar, Esmail Khodkam, Mahmoud Salehi and Jalal Hosseini, have been charged with various political “offences”, including affiliation with the Worker-communist Party of Iran. Mohammad Abdipour and Mohsen Hakimi have been charged with political activity and affiliation with other opposition groups.
You are no doubt aware that
under the Islamic dictatorship in Iran there is no freedom of assembly,
organisation or political activity and that political charges such as those
above, and even the holding of a May Day rally and defending workers’ basic
welfare rights, carry heavy penalties.
These activists are now threatened with long prison sentences and torture on trumped up charges. Their earlier release from the grip of a despotic regime, which is responsible for executing thousands of workers and dissidents, was a great achievement. The role of the world’s labour organisations in achieving this victory was crucial. The Islamic Republic should not be allowed to reverse this success. We have launched an international campaign to stop the persecution of these activists and need your support once again. The Islamic Republic authorities have even refused to allow in a delegation from the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) to visit Iran to investigate the matter.
We urge you to:
-
protest against the trial of the Saghez May
Day activists;
-
condemn the Islamic Republic for attacking
workers’ May Day rally in Saghez;
-
demand that all the charges against the seven
be dropped;
-
defend the right of workers in Iran to freely
organise and strike.
Best of regards and in solidarity,
Secretary of the Worker-communist Party of Iran -
Organisation Abroad