The prison sentence of Hassan Saidi, a member of the Tehran Bus Workers' Syndicate, was overturned by the Supreme Court

The Syndicate of Workers of the Tehran Bus Company announced in a statement that the prison sentence of Hassan Saidi, a member of this labor organization, has been reduced following an overturning in the Supreme Court. The syndicate noted that Mr. Saidi was sentenced to five years in prison on unfounded charges of conspiracy and collusion to commit a crime against national security and one year in prison and two years of exile for propaganda against the regime after being arrested on May 17, 2022, and following months of interrogation and case fabrication. The arrest of this labor activist coincided with the detention of several known labor and teacher activists in Iran by the security forces of the Islamic Republic, an action that was strongly condemned by labor organizations, teachers, and retirees in Iran, as well as labor unions worldwide. In its statement, the Syndicate of Workers of the Tehran Bus Company wrote: Recently, with the overturning of the ruling in the Supreme Court, Hassan Saidi's prison sentence has been reduced to three years, six months, and one day for the charge of conspiracy and collusion, and seven months for the charge of propaganda against the regime. This labor organization also stated that despite two years having passed since Hassan Saidi's arrest and imprisonment, he has not been granted a single day of leave, and his parole has also been opposed. Furthermore, it has been previously reported by Voice of America in an exclusive report about Evin Prison that the judiciary is generous in granting long-term leaves to 'insider' prisoners, while it is strict in granting leave for medical treatments or recovery periods to political and ideological prisoners. In this context, prisoners such as Nahid Taghavi, Reza Shahabi, Davood Razavi, Hassan Saidi, Fatemeh Sepahri, Arash Johari, Keyvan Mohtadi, Rasoul Badaghi, Mehran Raouf, Maziar Seyednejad, Jafar Ebrahimi, and others can be mentioned. Such practices have existed in previous years as well. A letter from labor activists to global trade unions: Demand the unconditional release of imprisoned workers in Iran. Hundreds of activists have called for the 'unconditional' release of Anisha Asadollahi and Keyvan Mohtadi. Statements from labor organizations on International Workers' Day: All prison and exile sentences of activists should be revoked.