Tehran Bus Workers' Syndicate: Immediate Halt to Executions

The Tehran and Suburbs Bus Workers' Syndicate condemned the confirmation of the death sentence for Pakhan Azizi, a imprisoned civil activist, by the Supreme Court, as well as the issuance of death sentences for several political prisoners. In its statement, the labor organization wrote: "This sentence has been issued while legal flaws and existing evidence in the case have been completely ignored," emphasizing that "Pakhan Azizi's activities, which were aimed at humanitarian aid and support for war refugees, especially women and children, have been unjustly classified as rebellion based on fabricated scenarios by the judiciary." The statement called for an immediate halt to the execution orders against Pakhan Azizi, Behrouz Ehsani, Mehdi Hasani, Varisheh Moradi, Mojahid Korkor, and other death row inmates. The syndicate, referencing its previous statement on January 14, stated: "We firmly oppose any form of capital punishment as an inhumane and repressive tool," adding: "The protests of independent organizations and groups in Iran reflect the solidarity of independent labor, teacher, and retirees' organizations in confronting repression and executions." The statement emphasized: "Unlike government-affiliated organizations that act in the name of workers, teachers, and retirees to serve the interests of the regime and justify its repressive actions, independent organizations, despite the atmosphere of repression and oppression, and despite the imprisonment and harassment of their members, demand the immediate and unconditional cancellation of these unjust sentences and an end to the regime's repressive policies against labor, teaching, student, civil, and political activists." The Tehran and Suburbs Bus Workers' Syndicate called for "workers and laborers across the country to loudly express their opposition to executions for any reason alongside the independent labor movement," adding: "Capital punishment not only violates the right to life but also undermines our collective efforts for social justice, equality, and the right to a dignified life." In recent days, statements condemning the confirmation of Pakhan Azizi's death sentence and the issuance of death sentences have been released. Among them, the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Workers' Syndicate, the Retirees' Union, and the Coordination Committee for the Assistance to Establish Labor Organizations and Retired Workers in Khuzestan strongly condemned the judiciary's actions, emphasizing that such sentences only "indicate the continuation of the Islamic Republic's policy of repression and structural violence against opponents and instilling fear in society." The Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers' Trade Unions also stated that "silence in the face of such unjust sentences means complicity with injustice and oppression." Various teachers' unions and organizations have protested against the issuance and confirmation of death sentences, including for political prisoners like Mojahid Korkor, Pakhan Azizi, Mehdi Hasani, and Behrouz Ehsani. They have called on Iranian society to take collective action to stop executions, regardless of the type of accusation or ideological inclination of the prisoners. The Iranian Retirees' Council and the Retirees' Union also urged all activists, organizations, and freedom-loving people to take a firm stance in defense of death row prisoners and to stop the cycle of violence and repression through unity and collective action. The Free Workers' Union of Iran noted the Islamic Republic's increasing reliance on "greater repression and the more frequent use of the death penalty" against civil and political activists, stating: "The government, unable to solve the most trivial crises, is trying to create a serious obstacle to widespread and freedom-seeking protests by resorting to execution and repression." This labor organization emphasized that "these policies will lead nowhere, and the oppressed people of Iran will not be intimidated by any degree of repressive policies in their defense of the right to life and their pursuit of human rights." The Free Workers' Union of Iran strongly condemned the confirmation of death sentences for Pakhan Azizi, Mojahid Korkor, Mehdi Hasani, Behrouz Ehsani, and the issuance of death sentences against other political prisoners, calling for the "immediate cancellation of death sentences" for political prisoners and their release, as well as the "abolition of the death penalty and its removal from the country's judicial rulings." In this context, Anisha Asadollahi, a leftist political prisoner in Evin Prison, wrote in a letter published on her Instagram page that the demand for "no to execution" is "an absolute demand in thought, will, and action." In her letter, referring to the protests of women prisoners in Evin after the issuance of Pakhan Azizi's death sentence and after the execution of Reza Rasai, she wrote: "We are well aware of the necessity of fully defending the no to execution and, of course, its class origins, and we consider it our historical duty to defend this progressive right in all respects and to bear all the consequences of this confrontation, and we also do not forget that we were among the first victims of the state execution machine." Ms. Asadollahi pointed out: "The demand for no to execution has not yet been fully internalized within us, as there should be no ifs and buts in it... Every political force today must first ask itself whether no to execution is an absolute matter for them? How aware are they of the validity of this right? We must ask about exceptions; we must question... Every political force must be held accountable before the masses with questioning... Will these openings be repeated tomorrow with another language? Traitors? Terrorism? Betrayers? Retribution? And... Every political current must be asked if they make exceptions, where is that place?" Having spent nearly two years in prison, she, along with some other female prisoners, has been deprived of visits for months after protesting against executions. Meanwhile, the Telegram channel "Charter of Freedom, Welfare, Equality" pointed out the confirmation of the death sentences for Pakhan Azizi, Behrouz Ehsani, and Mehdi Hasani, three political prisoners, regarding "executions for non-political crimes such as murder and drug offenses, etc.," stating: "Apparently, the Islamic Republic's action is to alleviate the hardships it has caused, but since it is unable to solve those hardships, it erases the issue. That is, instead of eliminating the problems of the people, it eliminates the victims of those problems." This Telegram channel active inside Iran considered "executions for political reasons" as indicative of the "inability of the Islamic Republic," adding that the government, since it "cannot respond to political opponents, physically eliminates them; with this false assumption that it can eradicate any political dissent or at least intimidate political opponents so that they do not dare to oppose." The Charter of Freedom, Welfare, Equality noted that "the Islamic Republic's goal of political executions is to eradicate any political dissent," citing the execution of several thousand political prisoners in the 1980s, especially in the summer of 1988, as a clear example of this issue. According to this Telegram channel, "the reason for any execution in the Islamic Republic is the inability of this government to solve societal problems." The Charter of Freedom, Welfare, Equality emphasized: "Executions do not solve any of these problems - this has been demonstrated by the 46 years of the Islamic Republic's rule - but due to its contribution to the continuation of a government incapable of managing society, it exacerbates these issues and hardships. Therefore, if any action is to be taken to solve societal problems, that action should not be executions but the removal of a government incapable of managing society."