Reyhaneh Ansarinezha, labor activist, summoned to serve four-year prison sentence

Reyhaneh Ansarinezha, a labor activist and member of the Coordination Committee to Help Establish Labor Organizations, has been summoned to report for the execution of her four-year prison sentence within five days, according to a notification from Branch 1 of the Execution of Sentences at the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Tehran. According to the Coordination Committee, she was sentenced to four years in prison and banned from membership in political parties and groups, as well as from activities in cyberspace, media, and press, and also prohibited from leaving the country for two years. The report states that the Islamic Revolutionary Court's ruling was upheld by the appeals court without considering any deficiencies in the case. Ms. Ansarinezha was arrested by the Ministry of Intelligence agents in Ordibehesht 1401 (April-May 2022) and was released on bail of 1.5 billion tomans after 87 days in detention. Subsequently, on the eve of International Workers' Day, May 1 of this year, she, along with eight other labor and union activists, including Asal Mohammadi, Hirad Pirbadaghi, Anisha Asadollahi, Kamyar Fakour, Sarvaneh Ahmadi, Hassan Ebrahimi, Zahra Rouhzad, and Aldoz Hashemi, were arrested by security forces while visiting the family of Mohammad Habibi, a union activist for teachers, and transferred to Evin Prison. This labor activist was temporarily released from Ward 209 of Evin Prison on Tuesday, Ordibehesht 18, after posting bail of one billion tomans, pending the conclusion of legal proceedings. The Coordination Committee condemned the summons, threats, and case fabrication against Reyhaneh Ansarinezha, stating that she does not belong in prison. The Syndicate of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company also described the ruling against Ms. Ansarinezha as oppressive actions and condemned it, protesting what it called a violation of her most basic legal and human rights, and calling for the release of workers and political prisoners. The return of Keyvan Mohtadi from solitary confinement to the general ward of Evin Prison has also been reported. Several labor activists and teachers have been arrested in various cities in Iran. Younes Azadbar, a labor activist in Gilan, has been accused of 'moharebeh' (waging war against God). Human Rights Watch has stated that the Islamic Republic has intensified its crackdown on civil society. The Council of Global Unions condemned the escalation of human rights violations, labor rights, and civil liberties in Iran.