WPI – Committee Abroad

14 November 2005

To labour organisations around the world

Urgent action required

Labour activists in Iran sentenced to prison and exile for taking part in May Day rally

Two labour activists were on Wednesday, 9 November, sentenced to prison terms of up to five years for taking part in a May Day rally in Iran last year.

Mr Mahmoud Salehi, a well-known labour activist, has been sentenced to five years in prison and three years’ exile, and Mr Jalal Hosseini has been sentenced to three years in prison.  Three other activists are also about to be tried.

Last May the Islamic Republic authorities detained these activists as they were preparing to take part in a May Day rally in the city of Saqez, in the west of Iran.  However, strong protests by labour organisations internationally, as well as by workers in Iran, forced the regime to release all seven on bail.  Nevertheless, the harassment of these activists has continued all along.

These sentences are a violation of workers’ most basic rights.  The Iranian regime must be forced to drop all the charges against these workers and to abide by internationally recognised labour rights.  There is no doubt that if the Iranian government succeeds in this attempt, further attacks on workers in Iran will follow.

We call on all trade unions and labour organisations worldwide to condemn the Islamic Republic of Iran for this blatant violation of workers’ rights, and to demand that all the charges against these labour activists be immediately dropped.  Celebrating May Day, taking strike action and other forms of labour protest are workers’ indisputable rights.  We call on labour organisations internationally to support workers in Iran in their struggle for these basic rights.

Please send your protest letters to ahmadinejad@president.ir and a copy to us.

In solidarity,

Khalil Keyvan

Secretary,

WPI – Committee Abroad