From: Campaign to Free Jailed Workers
To: Guy Ryder, Director-General of ILO
Why ILO is Silent about regular workers rights violations in Iran?
Why ILO is accepting agents of an anti labor murderous dictatorship as its members?
Dear Mr Guy Ryder!
You are responsible to answer these questions. You should be well aware that the Islamic regime in Iran continues its persecution of worker activists – from more arrests to harassment of those already in jail and their families. These activists are in prison purely for their union activities. Our campaign is working for the immediate and unconditional release of these activists, and calls on all trade unions and human rights organizations around the world to exert pressure on the Islamic regime of Iran to help secure their release and for an end to persecution of worker activists in Iran.
Following the mass protest in Iran on December 2017 against the Islamic regime a large number of people which came to the streets to demand their basic rights were arrested and most of them are still in jail.
Heavy jail sentences for labor activists in the past two years is a record. Many workers, teacher’s activists and protestors who are defending workers, teachers, and children’s rights are being sentenced to long term jail sentences on the grounds of being “a threat to national security”, “disturbing the peace”, “assembly and collusion against the government”, “propaganda against the government” and “insulting the supreme leader”.
Currently, Esmail Abdi, Mokhtar Asadi , Rohollah Mardani and Mahmoud Beheshti four teachers right activists, are in jail. Also Atena Daemi, a well known children and women’s rights activist and an activist against the death penalty and hundreds of political activists are imprisoned in Iran.
Mr Ryder!
The list is very long and it is impossible to mention all the pressures and tortures and crimes that this very regime that is accepted in the ILO is doing against the workers and the teachers and pensioners in Iran.
You should know for example that the so called “Workers’ House”, which participates in ILO as the representative of workers in Iran, its authorities have mutilated the tong of a protesting worker, and have played direct role in murder and suppression of workers, and are among criminal elements of Islamic Republic?
The deplorable fact is that the Islamic Republic is still a member of the ILO despite all these repressions and intensified executions, and, surprisingly, has received the offer to hold executive positions in the ILO. This is an issue that has been protested against by workers’ organizations and leaders again and again.
Considering the fact that the annual meeting of the ILO is taking place now, we put these questions to you and your meeting. These questions have been posed by worker activists and protesting teachers via letters and statements to the ILO and have received no answer so far.
From the point of view of the ‘Campaign to Free Jailed Workers’ and many worker activists and organizations and teachers, the Islamic Republic of Iran cannot and should not be a member of the ILO and must be expelled from this organization because of its daily crimes against workers.
Free Them Now! Campaign to Free Jailed Workers in Iran
Shahla Daneshfar
Shahla.daneshfar2@gmail.com
https://free-them-now.com
May 24,2018