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Two bus unionists released from imprisonment in Iran
6 January 2011
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| Mansour Osanloo: among the four Tehran bus unionists still in detention | |
Two activists from the ITF-affiliated bus workers’ union in Iran have been released from detention. The move follows a letter from the ITF to the Iranian president in early December, demanding the release of all the detained unionists; four, including Mansour Osanloo, still remain in prison.
Morteza Komsari and Aliakbar Nazariis of the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company were released at the end of December; on 13 December ITF general secretary David Cockroft wrote to Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad expressing deep concern regarding the continued repression against the independent trade union movement in Iran. He condemned Iran’s persistent violation of workers’ rights and “blatant attacks on free trade unionism” and called for the release of the detained members of the union. Four others from the union – Gholamreza Gholamhosseini, Ebrahim Madadi, Mansour Osanloo and Reza Shahabi - still remain in detention.
Reza Shahabi, whose family had paid 60 million tomans (US$50,000) in bail as requested by the authorities to secure his release, went on hunger strike over the delay in his release date until he was urged by colleagues to refrain from his protest.
Meanwhile, activists from other unions have been detained, including Dr Fariborz Raisdana of the Iranian Writers' Association as well as of the Center for the Defence of Human Rights, who was arrested on 19 December.
ITF inland transport section secretary Mac Urata said: “We still await the release of all Vahed union members, in particular, Reza Shahabi, whose family has already deposited bail. At the same time, the oppression of the independent workers' movement extends far beyond our union and that is why the ITF needs to work closely with the other global unions to promote our joint campaign.”
More information: http://www.justiceforiranianworkers.org/
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