Tehran Bus Workers' Syndicate Reports Deteriorating Health of Reza Shahabi

The Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company announced that "Reza Shahabi's health has deteriorated again and he has been transferred to Imam Khomeini Hospital in Tehran." According to the syndicate's Telegram channel, Robabeh Rezaei, Mr. Shahabi's wife, discovered after visiting the prosecutor's office that he was "urgently transferred from prison (Rajai Shahr in Karaj) to Imam Khomeini Hospital on Saturday, December 16, three days after suffering a mild stroke, and a specialist doctor has prescribed examinations for him." The report stated that despite his critical condition, Reza Shahabi, a board member of the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, has not been hospitalized. The syndicate's statement noted that they "plan to gradually take him to the hospital for examinations in the coming days" and added that given Shahabi's condition, "there is a constant risk of another stroke and serious danger to his life." The labor organization expressed regret that "the Tehran prosecutor's office has not heeded the specialist doctor's diagnosis that Shahabi does not have the physical capacity to endure imprisonment; continuing to imprison him has led to his stroke." They warned of a "high probability of another stroke" for Mr. Shahabi. The syndicate called for his immediate release and treatment, holding the Tehran prosecutor's office, prison officials, and security agencies responsible for any unfortunate event that might happen to Shahabi in prison. In another statement on Sunday, the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company urged "all workers and labor organizations in Iran and around the world to make every effort to save Reza Shahabi's life" and reported that "in recent weeks, Shahabi has been pressured to commit to ending any syndical activity and defending workers' rights. However, Shahabi has steadfastly maintained his position of having the right to an independent workers' organization and has never succumbed to intimidation, pressure, or imprisonment." Iranian officials typically deny any pressure or torture of prisoners, a claim that is refuted by human rights organizations with evidence. The Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company also referred to what it called "the unlawful and unjust imprisonment of Reza Shahabi" as a "type of hostage-taking" that "is a blatant violation of his basic human rights and a complete breach of all International Labor Organization conventions regarding the freedom of association and independent labor activity." Previously, reports about Reza Shahabi's stroke and the refusal of Rajai Shahr prison officials to transfer him to a hospital had led several labor organizations in Iran and labor unions worldwide to demand his immediate release. Among them, five major labor unions in France sent a letter to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, requesting "special attention to the situation of Reza Shahabi, a board member of the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company." According to the Socialist Solidarity Group with Workers in Iran - France and the International Federation in Support of Workers in Iran - Paris, the letter requested that if Iranian officials do not take responsibility for Reza Shahabi's life, they should allow him to go to France for treatment. A copy of this letter was also sent to the President of Iran and the head of the judiciary. Previously, the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company had announced that Reza Shahabi, a board member of this labor organization, had suffered a "mild stroke" in prison but "had not been sent to the hospital." According to the syndicate's Telegram channel and the Committee for the Defense of Reza Shahabi, his family noticed during a visit on December 13 that "the left side of Reza's face was drooping and there was a dent under his eye." In this regard, Mr. Shahabi had told his family that the prison doctor at Rajai Shahr in Karaj informed him that he had suffered a mild stroke. Reza Shahabi, when he presented himself to Rajai Shahr prison under pressure from the prosecutor's office on August 9 of this year, found out that his medical leave prescribed by forensic medicine had been rejected by the prosecutor's office, and he had to remain in prison for another 968 days. In response to this, Reza Shahabi went on a hunger strike, but on the fifth of Mehr (September 27), after 50 days of hunger strike, at the request of his family, the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, and several other labor organizations in Iran and worldwide, and following a promise from a "senior security official" to seriously address his demands, he ended his hunger strike. This imprisoned board member of the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company is demanding the cancellation of his 968-day prison sentence. However, no news has been published regarding the consideration of this demand.