Opposition to Second Leave Request of Reza Shahabi Despite His Urgent Need for Surgery

The Syndicate of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company announced that judicial authorities and the Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic have once again opposed the leave request of Reza Shahabi, a imprisoned member of this syndicate, despite his "urgent need" for surgery. According to this labor organization, the judicial authorities of the Islamic Republic cited Shahabi's failure to serve "one-third of his sentence" as the reason for denying his leave request, stating that "he does not meet the conditions for leave." This reasoning comes despite the fact that Shahabi has been in prison for about 23 months under a five-year prison sentence. Shahabi first requested leave in Bahman 1402, which was also denied. He was arrested in Ordibehesht 1401 and sentenced to six years in prison in a trial held without his presence, of which five years is enforceable. This labor activist urgently requires surgery due to damage to his neck and back vertebrae, as determined by a specialist doctor. Reza Shahabi, Davood Razavi, and Hassan Saidi, along with several other labor and teacher activists, such as Keyvan Mohtadi and Rasool Badaghi, were arrested following a meeting with two French union activists named Cecile Couler and Jacques Paris in Tehran last year, for which prison sentences have been issued for some of them. These security and judicial actions of the Islamic Republic have drawn widespread criticism both in Iran and globally. Critics point to the International Labor Organization conventions, of which the Islamic Republic is a member, emphasizing that meetings between union activists from different countries are not a crime. The Iranian Prison Organization opposed the medical leave of Nasrin Javadi. Exclusive: Officials at Evin opposed the treatment of Siamak Ebrahimi, a imprisoned civil activist. French labor unions: Reza Shahabi, Davood Razavi, and Hassan Saidi must be released. Evin prison officials and the Prison Organization opposed the conditional release of Reza Shahabi. Nahid Khodajoo, a labor activist, was arrested and transferred to Evin prison. The Syndicate of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company reported that Hassan Saidi has been exiled to Ward 8 of Evin. Reza Shahabi, a imprisoned labor activist, was transferred to the hospital due to illness.