Free jailed Iranian trade unionists!

Submitted by cathy n on 18 May, 2015 - 1:34 Author: Gemma Short

On April 19 Ali-Reza Hashemi, the General Secretary of the Iranian Teachers' Organisation, was arrested and taken to Evin prison.

Teachers' in Iran have been fighting against low pay and pay disparity. On April 16 teachers demonstrated outside Educational Ministry buildings across Iran. In 2010 Hashemi was sentenced to five years in prison in 2010 for “pursuing [teachers’] trade demands” and “meeting the families of imprisoned teachers” Hashemi was also charged with “gathering and collusion to disrupt national security” and “propaganda against the system”.

Hashemi was also sentenced to three years in prison in 2007 but the sentence was revoked after protests and an appeal. Activists suspect that the Iranian regime has decided to carry out Hashemi's old sentence now in an attempt to break teachers' protests and to wreck May Day activities.

In the lead up to May Day several trade union activists in Iran were arrested. On 29 April Davood Razavi and Ebrahim Madadi of the Tehran bus workers' union were arrested and tken to Evin prison. On 28 April Mahmoud Salehi and Osman Ismaili of the Coordinating Committee to help form Workers' Organisations were also arrested.

Workers' Liberty is supporting the LabourStart campaign for their release. You can sign the petition online here or download paper copies below.

Attachment Size
MayDayIran.pdf(30.19 KB) 30.19 KB

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