09/05/2026
To all workers unions and human rights organisations
Free Them Now (FTN), the Campaign to Free jailed Workers in Iran, calls for the immediate expulsion of the Islamic regime of Iran from the (ILO). The presence in the ILO of a regime whose foundations are built on systematic crimes and the repression of workers and the people is truly shameful, and is in contrast with the principles and mission of the ILO.
For decades, the Islamic Republic has imprisoned labor activists, crushed independent organizing, and carried out systematic violence against the people of Iran. Its record includes the killing of protesters during the Woman, Life, Freedom movement, the massacre of demonstrators in January 2026, the downing of the Ukrainian passenger plane in January 2020, killing 176 passengers, and the continued execution and imprisonment of political dissidents and workers.
In January 2026, as nationwide protests spread across more than 200 cities, the regime responded with mass killings, arrests, internet shutdowns, and intensified repression. Tens os thousands were killed in 2 days, and a bigger number were arrested, thousands still remain imprisoned and at risk of execution.
The list of crimes is far longer than this. A government responsible for such crimes against humanity cannot and should not be allowed legitimacy within an international institution officially dedicated to defending workers’ rights and human dignity.
We call on international labor unions, human rights organizations, and democratic institutions worldwide to support the expulsion of the Islamic Republic from the ILO, demand the release of all political prisoners and detained protesters, and press for an immediate end to executions and state repression in Iran.
FTN Spokesperson:Shahla Daneshfar
Shahla.daneshfar2@gamail.com
FTN head of the International relations: kazem.nikkhah@gmail.com