International Confederation of Trade Unions Strongly Criticizes Treatment of Labor Activists

On Tuesday, November 7, the General Secretary of the International Confederation of Trade Unions criticized the ongoing crackdown on independent labor organizations and labor activists in Iran in a letter to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. Sharon Burrow expressed deep concern for the physical condition of Mahmoud Salehi, a labor activist in Saqqez, who was arrested by plainclothes forces. According to reports, this labor activist, who has been sentenced to one year in prison by the appeals court, suffers from multiple illnesses. Mr. Salehi, who has officially stated that he lost his kidneys in the detention center of the Intelligence Department in Sanandaj in 2015, also suffers from heart disease and diabetes. His son, Sarmand Salehi, previously told Radio Farda that his father underwent heart surgery twice this year. In this context, Mahmoud Salehi was transferred to the Saqqez prison clinic on November 3 due to severe heart problems and then to Imam Khomeini Hospital in the city, where he was admitted to the intensive care unit. This labor activist remained hospitalized until Tuesday, and some unconfirmed reports indicate that in addition to being monitored by three prison guards, his leg was tied to the bed. The General Secretary of the International Confederation of Trade Unions also emphasized that Mahmoud Salehi should not be returned to prison and all charges against him should be dropped. In another part of her letter, Ms. Burrow noted that the crackdown on Ibrahim Madadi and Davood Razavi, two board members of the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, continues. This syndicate recently announced that Mr. Madadi has been summoned to serve his sentence of 10 years and 3 months, and the appeals court for Mr. Razavi has also been held. Davood Razavi had previously been sentenced to five years in prison. Sharon Burrow also wrote that the Committee for the Freedom of Associations, affiliated with the International Labour Organization, recently requested Iranian officials to recognize the freedom of labor organizations and not imprison labor activists. Mehdi Kouhestani Nejad, an advisor to the International Confederation of Trade Unions, told Radio Farda: 'The Confederation is closely monitoring the situation of workers in Iran.' He pointed out that 'the Iranian government is periodically in an economic crisis' and believes that 'the new crackdowns and arrests of labor activists indicate the peak of this crisis.' Nevertheless, according to Mr. Kouhestani Nejad, 'the difference in the arrest of labor activists in this period compared to previous periods is that these activists and labor organizations, as well as trade unions around the world, will not remain silent against these actions.' He criticized what he called the 'unlimited cruelty' of the government towards labor activists, referring to the publication of a photo of Mahmoud Salehi with his leg chained to the bed, and stated that despite 'the government's efforts to intimidate workers and labor activists, we are witnessing a rise in labor protests and the independent organization of workers.' At the end of her letter to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, Sharon Burrow referred to the summons of Alireza Saghafi, the Secretary of the Workers' Rights Defenders Association, to serve his three-year prison sentence, and urged Iranian officials to take necessary actions to immediately and unconditionally drop the charges against Mr. Salehi, Madadi, Razavi, and Saghafi. Typically, labor and professional activists, like teacher rights activists, are arrested and imprisoned in Iran on security charges. These actions have drawn widespread criticism from human rights organizations and international labor unions. Nevertheless, Iranian officials claim to engage with labor organizations and support the organization of workers.