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The ITF has learned that imprisoned Iranian trade unionist Mansour Osanloo is in danger of losing his sight following the latest government ploy to silence him.

Despite government promises Osanloo has not received the emergency treatment that he desperately needs to treat injuries to his eyes sustained when he was assaulted by government security forces two years ago – even though the prison doctor has admitted that if he is not treated within the next two weeks he could go blind.

Just a week ago Hanafi Rustandi, President of the Indonesian KPI union, flew to Iran on the ITF’s behalf to visit Osanloo in prison. He was told the reason he couldn’t see Osanloo was because he was receiving the urgent medical treatment he needed. Shortly afterwards the same excuse was used to block a visit to Osanloo by his wife, Parvenah.

ITF General Secretary David Cockroft described the news as “a sordid ploy by the government to isolate Mansour and punish him for having the audacity to ask for his trade union rights”.

He continued: “The fight for Mansour and his colleagues continues. Fresh on the heels of Hanafi’s visit to Iran and the ITF-ETF demonstration at its embassy in Brussels yesterday comes the release today of a short ITF film that is the latest tool in our worldwide campaigning against what is happening in Iran.”

As well as being distributed among the international trade union movement, the new film, Freedom Will Come – the Story of Mansour Osanloo, can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=in-vF2LvITkand by following the link at www.itfglobal.org/solidarity/osanloo2.cfm

Mansour Osanloo, 47, is the President of the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company (Sherkat-e Vahed), which has been violently repressed by the Iranian authorities. Osanloo has been made a particular target for imprisonment and brutal attacks and is currently being held in Evin prison in Tehran. Ebrahim Madadi, Vice President of the union, has also been detained and is know to be in poor health and suffering from diabetes.