Jafar Azimzadeh , a well-known labor activist and the head of the Free Union of the Workers of Iran (FUWI), and one of the coordinators of the famous wage rise petition with 40 thousand-signatures has been sentenced to 17 years in jail. He has been out of jail since June 30 last year after a hunger strike that lasted 63 days and made him very ill and weak.
Now the government forces try to return him to jail again. On 24 January 2017 intelligent officers raided his house to arrest Jafar Azim Zadeh. But he was not at home. Jafar has publicly announced that he has unfairly been sentenced to 17 years jail and he himself will not return to prison. He added even if he is arrested he will continue his struggle and protests in jail.
Jafar Azim Zadeh and Shapor Ehsani-Rad another member of the FUWI executive board were sentenced on October 14, 2016 by the Supreme Court of Saveh city to 11 years. Besides this and the sentence mentioned above, these two labour activists have also been charged for “threatening the national security and disturbing national safety”, “propaganda against Islamic Republic of Iran”, “disturbing public opinion” and giving advice to the Navard e Looleh Safa workers.
On the other hand Jafar Azim Zadeh’s demand for reconsideration of his previous 6 year prison sentence has been rejected. Altogether Jafar Azim Zadeh should spend 17 years of life in prison.
Behnam Ebrahimzadeh the workers and children’s right activist has been sentenced to 7 years and 10 months’ extra prison time on top of his 5 years being in prison (since 2010). He is now in the suit number 31 of the 10th ward of Rejaii Shahr Prison. Behnam has been inflicted with multitude of illnesses due to intense tortures in prison and needs immediate treatment. Behnam’s son, Nima Ebrahimzadeh, is ill with cancer, and not being on his side is a continuous emotional and psychological torture for Behnam. Behnam views his struggle as righteous and is demanding the cancelation of unjust sentences for him and for all other workers and social activists
Esmail Abdi, the secretary of Teachers Association of Tehran was arrested to serve 6 years jail on November 9, 2016.
Mahmoud Beheshti another member of the board of directors of the teacher’s Association with 5-years sentence has been summoned to the prison to spend his sentence.
Reza Shahbi Member of the executive board of the Union of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs has been called to jail. While he has already been 6 years in jail.
Many workers, teacher’s activists and protestors who are defending workers, teachers, and children’s rights are being sentenced to jail on the ground of “a threat to national security”, “disturbing the peace”, “assembly and collusion against the government”, “propaganda against the government” and “insulting the supreme leader”.
In Iran the workers and teachers are denied the basic rights such as the right to organize, the right to strike, the right to assembly, the right to freedom of speech and etc. There are many worker activists who have been threatened to get arrested and put in jail.
The Islamic regime is trying to even more abuse the workers rights by amendments in the labour laws. A clause of the bill of “Labour law reform” that has been sent to the parliament to be passed by the government is to establish “Disciplinary Committee” in work places and giving power to these committees to fire workers under the provision of “worker’s violation of law”. On May of 2016, Jafar Azimzadeh and Esmaeel Abdi announced a camping protesting to charge workers, teachers and protestors under the title of “act against national security and peace”, and this campaign (campaign to stop securitising protests) is attracting vast popularity every day.
Behnam Ebrahimzadeh with a number of other political prisoners in a joint statement from Rajaee Shahr prison demanded all the charges against social activists under the name of “Threat to Security” must be dropped immediately. They have joined to campaign Against Securitizing Workers’, Teachers’, and the General Public’s Protests in Iran.
Right now Jafar Azimzadeh, Mahmood Beheshti Langarodi (spoke person for teacher’s union in Tehran), are at the risk to get arrested.
Islamic Republic of Iran is a member of ILO, and calling workers act to defend their rights as a “Threat to Security”, is a violation to ILO conventions. .
We are asking all labour organizations, and human rights activist around the world to join our campaign to defend the workers in Iran and their protest against securitising their protests.
Our Urgent demands are:
We condemn the arrest of Esmaeel Abdi , he should realise immediately .
We condemn the refusal of retrial demand of Jafar Azim Zadeh and cancellation of his 6 years sentence. His 17 years sentence should be cancelled.
– There are many workers, teachers and children’s rights activist and other political prisoners in prison or sentenced to prison such as Shapoor Ehsani Rad with 11 years sentece, Mahmood Salehi with 9 years sentence, Davood Razavi 5 years, Ebrahm Maddadi 5 years and 3 months, Ali Akbar Baghani 10 years, Atena Daemi (the children’s right activist) 7 years and many more. We demand that all their charges to be cancelled immediately, and free all the political prisoners.
– Esmail Abdi , Behnam Ebrahim Zadeh and all political prisoners should be realised immediately.
Contact person in Canada:rozaarjang@yahoo.com
https://free-them-now.com
January 22, 2017
