اتحاد بین المللی در حمایت از کارگران در ایران
اکنون بیش از ۲۴ روز از اعتصاب غذای رضا شهابی در اعتراض به
انتقال ناگهانی وی از بند ۳۵۰
اوین به زندان رجایی شهر در کرج میگذرد. وضعیت جسمانی شهابی در این مدت رو به
وخامت گذاشته است، اما وی کماکان با وجود درخواستهای متعدد برای پایان دادن به
اعتضاب غذا برخواسته های خود پای فشاری می کند. شهابی در نامه ای سرگشاده
خطاب به دادستان تهران خواسته های خود را به شرح زیر اعلام کرده است.
۱- بازگشت به محل قبلی زندان اوین بند ۳۵۰
۲- مرخصی استعلاجی جهت درمان و عمل جراحی
دیسک کمر ( به دور از استرس و بگیر و ببند و حضور ماموران زندان که باعث ایجاد رعب
و وحشت و مزاحمت و ناراحتی به مراجعه کنندگان و کادر بیمارستانی و تیم پزشکی از
جمله پزشک و پرستارو غیره )
۳- اجرای ماده ۱۳۴ قانون جدید مجازات اسلامی ( قانون تجمیع)
۴- اجرای قانون آزادی مشروط.
همانطور که در اعلامیه های پیشین تاکید کرده بودیم باید
تمام تلاشمان را به کار گیریم که رضا شهابی بدون هر گونه قید و شرطی از زندان آزاد
شود؛ در عین حال مقامات جمهوری اسلامی را باید تحت بیشترین فشارهای داخلی و بین
المللی از طریق فعالین و تشکلات کارگری و مدافعین حقوق انسانی قرار داد که تن به
خواسته های فوری رضا شهابی داده و وی را بلافاصله جهت معاینات و معالجات پزشکی
لازم آزاد نمایند.
ترجمه انگلیسی
نامه سرگشاده رضا شهابی همراه با اطلاعات لازم دیگر به زبان انگلیسی، یک پتیشن و
نیز آخرین عکسهای رضا شهابی در زندان رجایی شهر ضمیمه است.
اتحاد بین
المللی در حمایت از کارگران در ایران
۲۴ ژوئن ۲۰۱۴
Reza Shahabi’s letter
to Tehran’s
Attorney General
From: Reza Shahabi
Zakaria
To: Mr. Abbas Jafari-Dolatabbadi
Subject: Protesting
illegal exile and hunger strike
Dr. Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, Attorney General of Province of Tehran
With greetings:
Respectfully reporting
to you that: I, Reza Shahabi Zakaria, son of Ali, occupation driver and a
member of Board of Directors and Treasury Secretary of “Bus Workers Syndicate
of Tehran and Suburbs”, have been illegally incarcerated for five years now. My
imprisonment is in clear violation of all international Labour laws, including
Conventions number 87 and 98 of International Labour Organization which Iran is also a
member of and signatory to its conventions and must abide by them as such.
These conventions guarantee workers’ rights to establish independent labour
organizations and the rights to election and strike. I have been sentenced to
six years of imprisonment, banned from all Syndicates and any other social
activities and also a fine of seven and half million toman (about three
thousand dollars). All the charges against me were sham and produced by the
interrogators of the 15th district of Judiciary ordered from higher up. I was
unjustly convicted by Judge Salavati on these sham charges.
Mr. Attorney General:
Since my arrest and
incarceration I have repeatedly protested my conditions and the harsh treatment
I have received from prison guards and interrogators by writing many letters
addressed to head of the Judiciary and you. There’s no need to repeat them
here. But as a reminder I will briefly mention only a part of all the
oppression and pressures that I and my family have had to endure in these years
in a condensed manner:
As a member of Board
of Directors of the syndicate, elected by workers in a general assembly, I was
obliged and responsible to defend my co-workers in all matters of work
conditions, issues of health and safety and all other work related matters. I
have been elected as an official representative of my co-workers with a
notarized power of attorney to represent their cases in Tehran’s branch of Ministry of Labour.
Defending workers’ rights and demand that we live a humane and dignified life,
was a task that I have wholeheartedly and tirelessly pursued. As a result
many expelled workers have got their jobs back, wages were improved and workers
benefited in other cases.
Apparently such
activities and achievements were not appreciated by many officials of the
Tehran Bus Company and others; hence, on 1 June of 2009, in total disbelief I
was arrested during work, in front of all passengers, accused of armed robbery.
My entire house was violently searched by security agents and my whole family
terrorized; with my young daughter and son crying and traumatized and my wife
shocked. Security agents in civilian attire confiscated and took away all my
hand writings and anything having to do with the Syndicate. I was transferred
to ward 209 of Evin prison under extreme duress and psychological pressures and
threats accompanied by insults, and beatings. I was held in solitary
confinement for nineteen months with continuous physical and psychological
pressures; As a result, the left side of my body is numb, I have had to go
under surgery for my neck. At the present, I suffer from extreme back pain,
displaced spinal disks, high blood pressure, non-stop nose bleeds, liver and
stomach problems and chronic headaches.
My family has also
been subjected to psychological and emotional hardships; my children have been
feeling isolated and depressed; they had difficulties continuing their
education. Meanwhile my wife has taken over all the financial responsibilities
of our family. In my absence she has been acting as both father and the mother
for our children, making sure all their educational needs are met, while taking
care of the monthly rent and providing money needed for clothing, health etc.
In addition, she has been providing my monetary needs in jail and financially
supporting me while I’m incarcerated She has been able to overcome all
these financial obstacle by working from home, earning an income by producing
pickles for sell and also receiving helps from some of my co-workers and
other honourable labour activists and freedom-loving friends.
Alas after four years
of incarceration, in total disbelief, and unexpectedly, I have been illegally
exiled from Evin prison in Tehran to Rajaie
Shahr prison in the City of Karaj.
This illegal transfer which occurred during my children’s’ final exams has
caused them great harm. This illegal transfer completely disregards coroners’
report on my health and is causing great harm and distress to my family,
co-workers and friends.
It should be noted
that Rajaie Shahr prison which I have been exiled to is lacking facilities that
usually exist in other prisons. The solitary confinement cells in here are
barely five meters (4.70 m) instead of standard twelve to fifteen meters in all
solitary confinement cells, with two to three people in one cell. The only
outlet is a thirty centimetres window, covered with three layers of metal mesh,
which makes breathing very difficult. There’s insufficient air in the cells and
breathing becomes a problem. Our access to yard is limited to two and half
hours to three hours maximum, instead of morning to the evening. There are no
recreational facilities, no access to books or a library for political
prisoners or prisoners of conscious. There’s a total lack of health standards
and a constant parade of mice and roaches throughout the prison. Medical care
to prisoners is very low-quality and there’s no resources for physiotherapy or
expert health care. The lack of proper food in here and also other substandard
materials are a far cry from what prison regulations stipulates.
On top of all these
problems we face inside jails, our families outside have to face an array of
economic and other problems because their main income earner is in jail.
Travelling to Rajaie Shahr prison is a long trip from Tehran and costly, hence our weekly meetings
have turned into bi-weekly or monthly meetings.
Mr. Attorney General:
I, Reza Shahabi Zakaria, a driver and a member of Bus Workers’ Syndicate, due
to all the circumstances and conditions described above, in protesting against
the illegal and irresponsible treatments I have received and against my illegal
transfer to Rajaie Shahr prison, (Also the interrogator threatened to open a
new case against me on June 1, 2014, after I was exiled to Rajaie Shahr
prison), and in order to draw attention of the authorities and freedom-loving
people and international bodies to my plight, have begun a hunger strike,
endangering my only capital despite my physical conditions and illness. Today
is the 14th day of my hunger strike, and my demands are as follows:
1)
To be returned to the previous prison, Evin Prison, ward 350
2) A sick leave of absence in order to have the much needed
operations on my disks and recuperation (away from stresses of prison guards
which always causes problems and terrorizes the nurses and doctors and other
medical professionals)
3) Implementation of the new Islamic penal code, article 134
(Aggregation Rule)
4) Enforcement of parole
With thanks; Seeking
justice
Reza Shahabi
Rajaie Shahr prison; Section 4; Hall 12
14, June 2014 *
Free Reza Shahabi Now!
Reza Shahabi, the
Treasurer and Executive Board member of the Syndicate of workers of Tehran and Suburbs Vahed
Bus Company, known as "Vahed Syndicate", has been imprisoned since
June 2010. He was brutally attacked and beaten during his arrest and
interrogations, and severely suffered both physically and psychologically. He
spent 19 months in solitary confinement, and during this time his family was
not informed of his situation .He has been sentenced to six years of
imprisonment, banned for five years from any trade union activities, and a fine
of 7,500,000 Toman, in which is (the equivalent of about US $3000), on the
vague charges of “propaganda against the state” and “acting against national
security”. As the result of enduring psychological and physical abuses, he now
suffers from multiple illnesses, including severe neck and back pain associated
with disc herniation, numbness of feet and hands, liver and kidney
complications, decaying of his lower vertebrates, heart issues, and etc.
Reza Shahabi underwent
cervical spine surgery on July 24, 2012, and he was transferred to Evin person
shortly after, without being allowed to be healed from his surgery. He was
temporarily released on bail on January 7, 2013, after a three week hunger
strike, demanding to receive medical treatments outside of the jail. Once
again, despite his needs for further treatments, he was forced to return to
jail on April 15, 2013. On October 19, 2013, Reza Shahabi once again was
transferred to a hospital due to numbness of his left foot and severe back
pain. It was recommended again by his doctors that he had to receive
hydrotherapy and physiotherapy in a stress free environment outside of prison
and that without appropriate treatment his entire left side could be paralyzed.
Nevertheless, the authorities have denied all these recommendations.
There have been
inconsistent messages by the prison and judicial authorities regarding Reza’s
final release date from prison. According to a previous statement by the
Appeal Court, Reza Shahabi had to be released in March 2014 (reducing his
sentences to four years), but he has been given a new statement ruling that he
would be released in May 2015, if he pays a 7 million toman fine; otherwise,
his jail time will be extended to May 2016. Authorities have also been
pressuring Reza to keep quite while in prison but he has refused to do that and
during this time he has issued numerous statements. In his latest open letter
to Tehran Province’s Attorney General (attached),
Reza describes what he has gone through in more than four years. He has written
the open letter from Rajaie Shahr prison. Reza has gone on hunger strike as of
June 1st, 2014 in protest against his sudden/unannounced transfer from Section
3350 of Evin Prison in Tehran to Rajaie Shahr Prison in City of Karaj, where
according to various reports including Amnesty International’s latest statement
“ political prisoners and convicted criminal offenders, including violent
offenders, are frequently held together”. His family has had hard time visiting
him and medical and other facilities are even worse than Evin prison. In
addition, the interrogator threatened to open a new case against Reza Shahabi
on June 1, 2014, after he was exiled to Rajaie Shahr prison.
The authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran are fully responsible and
accountable for the life and well-being of Reza Shahabi. We demand the
immediate and unconditional freedom of Reza Shahabi.
International Alliance in Support of Workers in Iran (IASWI)
www.workers-iran.org
info@workers-iran.org
June 20, 2014
Updates on the situation of other long-serving jailed labour activists, as of
June 20, 2014 (Prepared by IASWI):
- Shahrokh Zamani, a member of the Founding Board of the Syndicate of Paint
Workers of Tehran and the Committee to Pursue the Establishment of Workers
Organizations, is currently serving an eleven-year prison sentence in
Gohardasht Prison in Karaj.
Shahrokh Zamani and Mohammad Jarahi were initially arrested in June 2011.
Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court in Tabriz later sentenced Shahrokh Zamani
to 11 years and Mohammad Jarahi to five years imprisonment after conviction of
charges including “acting against national security by establishing or
membership of groups opposed to the system” and “spreading propaganda against
the system”. Shahrokh Zamani and Mohammad Jarahi were both arrested in
mid-January 2012 to begin serving their sentences. While in prison, Shahrokh
Zamani, was violently forced to attend a court hearing on May 1, 2013, in which
he was faced with a sham charge of insulting “the leader” (Ali Khamenei, The
Supreme Leader of the IRI). Shahrokh was taken again to the court on September
8, 2013 and had to defend himself against the allegations that he has insulted
Ali Khamenei in prison. On 10 March 2014 Mr. Zamani was unexpectedly
forced to relocate from Gohardasht prison to Rajaie prison, with no explanation
or justification for such a move. In response to this illegal relocation Mr.
Zamani went on a hunger strike which lasted for almost a month. During his
hunger strike there was an effective solidarity campaign actively supporting
his demand for not being removed from Gohardasht and due to the popular
pressures the officials in charge of his case had to reverse their decision.
Mr. Zamani lost about twenty kilograms of his weight and even his old friends
have said they could not recognize him due to the severe weight loss. Mr.
Zamani participated in a May 1st celebration and event in Gohardasht prison and
delivered the speech for the proceedings.
- Mohammad Jarahi, a
member of the Committee to Pursue the Establishment of Workers Organizations,
an independent labour organization campaigning for the establishment of
independent trade unions in Iran,
is currently serving a five-year prison sentence. Mohammad Jarahi is in Tabriz prison, north-west Iran. Mohammad Jarahi and Shahrokh
Zamani were initially arrested in June 2011. Branch 1 of the Revolutionary
Court in Tabriz later sentenced Shahrokh Zamani to 11 years and Mohammad Jarahi
to five years imprisonment after conviction of charges including “acting
against national security by establishing or membership of groups opposed to
the system” and “spreading propaganda against the system”. Shahrokh Zamani and
Mohammad Jarahi were both arrested in mid-January 2012 to begin serving their
sentences. Mohammad Jarahi, serving his third year in Tabriz prison, has been diagnosed with
thyroid cancer. Mohammad reportedly had part of his thyroid gland removed in a
surgery about three month ago at a hospital in Tabriz. Based on the final results of the
tests and the detection of the Medical Commission, it is essential that
Mohammad Jarahi sooner rather than later be transferred to a hospital outside
the prison in order to be treated properly. Despite doctors' diagnosis and
follow-ups of the family of Mohammad Jarahi, officials in Tabriz prison and judicial authorities refuse
to let him out of prison and his hospitalization and treatment are not
approved.
- Behnam Ebrahimzadeh,
member of The Committee to Pursue the Establishment of Workers’ Organizations,
and a Children's Rights advocate, has been incarcerated in Evin prison since
June 2010. Behnam Ebrahimzadeh was initially sentenced to 20 years’
imprisonment in December 2010 on national security charges. This was overturned
by the Supreme Court, and after a retrial he was sentenced to five years in
prison after conviction of “gathering and colluding with intent to harm state
security”, apparently in connection with his labour activities on behalf of The
Committee to Pursue the Establishment of Workers’ Organizations. This sentence
was upheld on appeal in October 2011. Bahman Ebrahimzadeh, who was given a
temporary release in order to care for his 14 year old son who is suffering
from cancer, was under heavy pressure to return to prison, while his only son
is bedridden and needs his father on his side. Latest reports indicate
that, despite Behnam's pleas and calls by many labour activists and
organizations in Iran,
Behnam was forced to return to Evin prison on Monday, August 26, 2013. Behnam
Ebrahimzadeh Defence Committee reports on September 15, 2013 that after Behnam
was transferred to prison from his temporary medical leave for his son, the
prison authorities decided to open a new case against him for reporting to the
prison a few days after the deadline. Mr. Ebrahimzadeh was one of the
inmates severely attacked during the 17 April raid on political prisoners of
Evin. After the attack he and nine other injured political prisoners were sent to
solitary confinement in ward 240 for fifteen days. After he was briefly
returned to the general prison population of Evin, on May 2, 2014 he was sent
to solitary confinement in ward 209 of Evin again for 54 days and was
transferred back to the general ward on June 17, 2014.
- According to the
Amnesty International, Rasoul Bodaghi, a member of the Tehran Teachers’ Trade
Associations, which is affiliated to Education International, was arrested in
September 2009. A teacher for 20 years, he was sen-tenced to six years in
prison for “propaganda against the system” and “gathering and colluding with
intent to disturb national security”, both vaguely worded charges. In January
2011, the Appeal Court
confirmed Rasoul Bodaghi’s sentence and banned him from taking part in any
civil society activities for five years.
It is also important
to highlight the current situation of Mr. Jafar Azimzadeh who was
arrested on April 30th and released on bail on June 14, 2014. Jafar Azimzadeh,
the Chair of the Board of Directors of “Free Union of Iranian Workers” was
brutally arrested in his house in front of his family members on 30 of April,
2014 and his computer and some other documents were also confiscated by
security agents. Mr. Jafar Azimzadeh remained incarcerated for 46 day, He was
arrested a day before events planned for the International Workers’ Day.
Jafar was under extreme pressure and intense interrogation in section 209 of
Evin Prison to abandon his labour activities.
There are many other
labour activists across the country that are being persecuted and arrested on
short-term basis. Many are currently facing legal battles and have been charged
with various sham charges. A more comprehensive list of jailed and prosecuted
labour activists will be created and published on IASWI’s website in July 2014.
For instance, bus workers and other labour activists in Tehran,
Mechanical Steel workers in a suburb of Tehran
and a group of independent labor activists in Sanandaj were targets of state
repression, and were arrested on May1st, 2014 and the night before May 1st,
solely because of their plans or participation in independent May Day
celebrations and rallies throughout Iran. It is important to emphasize
that many cases go unreported.
IASWI has prepared the attached video about Reza Shahabi's situation. Please
post/distributed widely.
About IASWI: The International Alliance in Support of Workers in Iran
(IASWI) was formed in 1999 and formally launched in January 2000. The IASWI has
been working in collaboration with many labour and progressive organizations
and activists in Iran and
around the world to strengthen worker-to-worker solidarity in defence of
workers’ rights, demands and struggles in Iran and against the repressive
anti-worker policies and practices of Islamic Republic of Iran. IASWI is a
fully independent organization and does not accept funding or resources from
any governments or corporations and their affiliates.
