A Global Labor Union and Five French Unions Call for the Release of Salehi and Shahabi

Walter Sanchez, the General Secretary of the Global Industrial Workers' Union, along with five French labor unions, has called for the immediate release of Mahmoud Salehi and Reza Shahabi, two imprisoned labor activists. According to the Telegram channel of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company Workers' Union, Sanchez expressed concern in a letter to Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, regarding what he termed 'harassment and detention of workers and labor union leaders due to union activities.' In this letter, Sanchez specifically highlighted the 'inhumane treatment' of Mahmoud Salehi and Reza Shahabi, stating that 'their health and well-being are in serious danger.' Reports indicate that Mr. Salehi lost his kidneys in May 2015 due to the denial of his medications while detained at the Sanandaj Intelligence Office and suffers from heart disease and diabetes. Samand Salehi, the child of this labor activist, confirmed this in an interview with Radio Farda. Mr. Salehi was arrested on November 6 after undergoing kidney dialysis in a hospital in Saqqez to serve his one-year prison sentence. This labor activist was transferred to the prison infirmary and then to the intensive care unit of Imam Khomeini Hospital in Saqqez on the night of November 12 due to a worsening heart condition. His treating physician recommended that he be transferred to a better-equipped hospital in Tehran, Tabriz, or Urmia due to his weak heart, but judicial authorities opposed this and returned him to Saqqez Prison on November 20. In this context, the Committee for the Defense of Mahmoud Salehi, which is represented by Najibe Salehi, accused the judiciary and the Ministry of Intelligence of 'jointly thwarting any efforts for Mahmoud Salehi's medical leave and his family's attempts.' Walter Sanchez, in his letter to Hassan Rouhani, noted that 'only 30 percent of Salehi's heart' is functioning and that he must undergo dialysis twice a week. He emphasized that 'Mahmoud Salehi's life is in very serious danger if he remains in prison.' Reza Shahabi, a board member of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company Workers' Union, also mentioned in Sanchez's letter, learned after his arrest in August of this year that he would have to spend about a thousand days in prison because his medical leave was denied. He went on a long hunger strike in protest, ultimately ending it after a senior security official promised to address his request for release, along with appeals from his family and labor organizations in Iran and abroad. The General Secretary of the Global Industrial Workers' Union wrote that Mr. Shahabi has serious physical problems that 'have been attributed to years of mistreatment and torture during interrogations.' He called for Reza Shahabi to be transferred to a fully equipped hospital for specialized treatment and to be released unconditionally. The Global Industrial Workers' Union has over 50 million members. In a letter to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, five French labor unions warned that Mahmoud Salehi is at risk of death and noted that prison-affiliated doctors stated he requires permanent treatment and should not be returned to prison. According to the Socialist Solidarity Group with Workers in Iran in France and the International Union in Support of Workers in Iran - Paris, the letter from these unions (CFDT, CGT, FSU, Solidaires, UNSA) stated that 'Mahmoud Salehi is not receiving the necessary treatment and medical care in prison, and his health condition is very serious.' These five unions called for the 'immediate transfer' of this labor activist to a hospital outside of prison and pointed out that 'the imprisonment of Salehi, like that of other imprisoned workers, constitutes a violation of human rights and fundamental union freedoms.' The letter also emphasized 'appropriate treatment and medical care for Mahmoud Salehi and his immediate and unconditional release.' The French labor unions stated that the Islamic Republic of Iran, as a member of the International Labor Organization, 'does not comply with its obligations under the framework of the organization's agreements, especially regarding the right of workers to organize,' stressing the need to 'overturn unjust convictions and the immediate and unconditional release of all activists imprisoned for union activities and defending workers' rights.' The letter also mentioned the names of Reza Shahabi and Ismail Abdi, a board member of the Teachers' Trade Association.