Board Member of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Workers' Syndicate Summoned to Serve 6 Months in Prison

Ali Nejati, a dismissed worker and board member of the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Workers' Syndicate, has been summoned by the second branch of the Andimeshk Judiciary Enforcement Office to serve his prison term. The Free Workers' Union of Iran reported that Mr. Nejati has been sentenced to 6 months in prison. According to the report, the charges against Ali Nejati include 'communication with activists abroad, activating the labor movement in northern Khuzestan, holding May Day (International Workers' Day) and March 8 (International Women's Day) ceremonies, establishing a mother library in Andimeshk, and holding weekly meetings of the Haft Tappeh Syndicate.' According to the Union's website, Ali Nejati was arrested in 2015 by the intelligence forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) at his home and was transferred to the military detention center in Shush and then to the IRGC detention center in Andimeshk. Following 15 days of interrogation by the IRGC intelligence, he was moved to Karoun Prison in Ahvaz. He was later charged in the Revolutionary Court of Dezful and released on bail of 100 million tomans. This labor activist had previously been sentenced to 6 months in prison in 2009 for union activities and to 1 year in prison in 2011, which he served in Fajr Prison in Dezful. Additionally, in 2012, a case was opened against Ali Nejati in the fourth branch of the Sanandaj Revolutionary Court for singing the song 'Daya Daya Vaghte Jangeh,' from which he was eventually released on bail. The Free Workers' Union of Iran noted that the issuance of the 6-month prison sentence for Mr. Nejati comes at a time when 'this well-known Iranian labor movement activist suffers from heart disease and has undergone heart surgery once, making imprisonment pose irreparable risks for him.' The summons for Ali Nejati to serve his 6-month prison term came after Reza Shahabi, a board member of the Syndicate of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, was pressured by the prosecutor's office to go to Rajai Shahr Prison in Karaj, where he was told that his medically approved leave was not accepted and he must stay in prison for 968 days. Meanwhile, the summons of Ali Nejati occurs at a time when dozens of Haft Tappeh sugarcane workers have been arrested or summoned due to their participation in strikes and protests, including blocking several roads leading to the company. Reports indicate that in two phases, 15 workers were arrested and later released on bail. Additionally, 53 workers were summoned to court and released on bail by their colleagues. Such actions against labor activists and workers have led to widespread protests from independent labor organizations and several international labor unions.