Labor Activist Davoud Razavi Freed After Three Years in Prison
November 5, 2025
Yesterday, on November 4, Davoud Razavi, a member of the board of directors of the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company (VAH ED)y , who had been arrested on September 27, 2022 during a raid by security forces and transferred to Evin Prison, was conditionally released after three years of unjust imprisonment.
We congratulate Davoud Razavi, his family, and his comrades in the Vahed Syndicate on his release, and we emphasize the demand for his unconditional freedom.
The Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, while celebrating the conditional release of Davoud Razavi, calls for the removal of all conditions, restrictions, and limitations imposed on this veteran labor activist and syndicate member, and reaffirms its demand for the freedom of all labor and civil activists as well as all prisoners of conscience and political prisoners.
Another joyful news is the release of Jacques Paris and Cécile Kohler, two French citizens and teachers’ union activists, after three years of imprisonment in Iran. They were arrested in May 2022 (Ordibehesht 1401) along with a number of Iranian labor and teachers’ activists in a ridiculous “espionage” scenario.
The arrest of Kohler and Paris was a clear example of the Islamic Republic’s hostage-taking policy aimed at advancing its terrorist objectives. The arrest of Iranian teachers and workers alongside these two French unionists—simply for meeting with them—was an assault on fundamental labor rights and a continuation of the regime’s repressive practices.
The Islamic Republic kept them in prison for three years, but their release marks the failure of the regime’s worn-out repressive schemes, further exposing its desperation.
It is also outrageous that Emmanuel Macron, President of France, announced their release on his X (Twitter) account and thanked officials of the Islamic Republic, despite their three-year imprisonment and the heavy 17- and 22-year sentences recently issued against them on October 13 (22 Mehr) by Iran’s judiciary.
It is worth noting that a month earlier, on September 10 (20 Shahrivar), Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had stated that the French prisoners in Iran were to be exchanged for an Iranian national imprisoned in France, and that the exchange of Mahdieh Esfandiari with the French detainees was in its final stages and expected to take place soon.
The Campaign to free jailed Workers in Iran once again expresses its joy at the release of Davoud Razavi, Cécile Kohler, and Jacques Paris. Through our ongoing struggle, we will free all political prisoners. Imprisoned workers, imprisoned teachers, and all political prisoners must be released immediately and unconditionally.
November 5, 2025
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