Islamic regime of Iran must be expelled from ILO!
To: Mr. Guy Ryder, Secretary of ILO: Free Them Now!, November16, 2020
We have repeatedly informed you of the Islamic republic of Iran’s terrible violation of workers’ and people’s rights. Amnesty International’s report, released on September 2nd 2020, with the headline, Iran: Trampling Humanity – Mass arrests Disappearances and Torture since Iran’s 2019 November protests, clearly showed the atrocities going on in Iran (though a very small aspect of it).
The most publicized of its crimes, was the deliberate shooting down of the Ukrainian passenger flight 752 on January 8th 2020, killing 176 innocent passengers and crew members, and the execution of young wrestling champion, Navid Afkari, on September 12 this year due to his participation in a peaceful protest.
Following the mass protests in Iran in November 2019 against poverty, sharp price rises and lack of basic rights, 1500 protesters were shot dead and 8 thousand protesters have been arrested and are still in jail. This brutal regime has also again stepped up its persecution of workers activists – from more arrests to harassment of those already in jail and their families. Heavy jail sentences for labor activists in the past three years is a record. They have even tried many of the political prisoners while they are already serving their long prison sentences, and issued heavier sentences against them. One such example is Mr Esmail Abdi, the executive member of Teachers’ association of Tehran who was sentenced to 10 years in jail while he was already serving 6 years in prison. Ms Atena Daemi a children’s and women’s rights activist has also been tried a couple of times while she is already in prison, and sentenced to 2 more years. Mr Jafar Azim Zadeh has been tried again and sentenced to 13 extra months after he was sentenced to 5 years already. Many teachers, workers and students are in jail due to protesting against social injustice. 비트코인 스포츠북
Pressure on worker activists and political activists is heavy inside prisons. Deprivation from
medication, closure of hot showers, harassment, torture and life threats are all dangers and sufferings that these prisoners face day to day.
Attempts to organize workers in Iran, independent from government organization, is a crime, and apart from government organizations such as so called “workers’ House” and “Islamic Councils”, which are state designed organizations to counter workers, no other workers institutions have the right to conduct any organizing labor activity.
The Iranian regime does not represent the people and the workers; it is a murderer against its own people. Such a regime should not be in the ILO, but in the international courts to face charges for its crimes against humanity. This regime should be expelled from the ILO and from all the international bodies.
So far, a number of international unions and well-known social activits have supported and endorsed our call for the expulsion of the Islamic regime from the International Labor Organization and its political boycott. These unions and activists are:
- Stefhen Von Sychowski President of VDLC Canada, representing 60,000 workers
- Stephanie Smith president of the BCGEU Canada, representing over 80,000 members
- Saeed Nama the president of the Iraqi workers federation
- Solidarity party in Switzerland,
- Free Political Prisoners in Iran (CFPPI),
- John Clarke, OCAP Organizer, in Canada,
- Paul McAleer Sydney Branch Secretary Maritime Union of Australia, 73,931 members
- Canadian Union of Post Workers(Ontario)
- International Committee Against Execution (ICAE)
- Subhi Al-Badri, vice President of the Federation of Iraqi Workers and Employees
- Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union (AMWU)
– Also Post Union in Canada (Ontario) and LO in Norway have expressed their support for Islamic regimes’ expulsion form ILO in meetings with our members.
Free Them Now would strongly protest ILO for appeasing such a killer regime, because of its silence and appeasement with such a regime. You are even silent about the ongoing violation of the very conventions declared by your organization, by the Iranian regime. This is shameful that this very regime is a ILO member!
Boycott Iran’s murderous regime! Just as the regime of racial Apartheid of South Africa faced international boycott and isolation, so should the regime of gender Apartheid in Iran. This regime should be expelled from all the international bodies, and first and foremost from an organization which bears the name of workers.
Jailed workers and all political prisoners should be released unconditionally and immediately!
Regards:
Shahla Daneshfar spokesperson of Free Them Now, campaign to free jailed workers in Iran
Kazem Nik khah head of FTN International relations
Co:
ITUC info@ituc-csi.org
Amnesty International sct@amnesty.org.uk
UN Human Rights Council infodesk@ohchr.org