Prison Sentences Issued for Two Labor Activists; Another Labor Activist Arrested in Sanandaj

News sources reported the issuance of prison sentences for two labor activists in Tehran and the arrest of another labor activist in Sanandaj. The International Federation of Journalists announced on Wednesday, December 8, the enforcement of a prison sentence for Kamyar Fakour, a labor activist and journalist for the Khabar Online website. Erfan Karamvasi, the lawyer for this journalist, recently reported the rejection of a request for retrial in the case of Kamyar Fakour and his wife, Sarvnaz Ahmadi. According to the International Federation of Journalists, Kamyar Fakour was sentenced to two years of suspended imprisonment in a case from 2021 on charges of 'disturbing public opinion.' Based on this report, citing informed sources, the two-year suspended sentence for Mr. Fakour regarding the charge of disturbing public opinion in the 2021 case was enforced following the completion of this journalist and labor activist's eight-month sentence. This labor journalist has previously been arrested and imprisoned several times due to his activities. Additionally, according to the Telegram channel of the Iranian Free Workers Union, Kamran Sakhtemangar, a labor activist accused of 'propaganda against the regime,' was arrested on Tuesday, December 6, and transferred to Sanandaj prison. The first branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Sanandaj had previously sentenced this labor activist to pay a fine of 34 million tomans. Mr. Sakhtemangar was arrested when he went to the fourth branch of the execution of sentences in Sanandaj. He had been arrested in October of last year during protests against the death of Mahsa Amini while in the custody of the morality police and was released in March. On the other hand, several labor organization Telegram channels reported the sentencing of Reza Aghdasi, a labor activist, to four years and three months in prison. This dismissed worker from Iran Khodro was arrested about 40 days ago in Tehran. According to the Telegram channel of the Iranian Free Workers Union, Reza Aghdasi has been accused of 'propaganda against the regime' and 'collusion and conspiracy against internal security.' Reza Aghdasi and his wife were also arrested by the security forces of the Islamic Republic during the nationwide protests of 2022. This labor activist has been summoned several times and is currently imprisoned in Evin prison. According to this report, he, who is deaf and has physical limitations, needs to receive medical treatment. The intensification of security and judicial crackdowns on labor and teacher activists in Iran has drawn severe criticism from labor and teacher unions worldwide. These unions emphasize the necessity of the free activity of labor and professional organizations in Iran, free from any form of repression.