Släpp den fängslade fackliga aktivisten Reza Shahabi!

Följande uttalande, från Transport, Kommunal, IF Metall och LO, har sänts till Irans president Hassan Rouhani. Den fängslade fackliga aktivisten Reza Shahabi är svårt sjuk och måste omedelbart friges.

To Hassan Rouhani, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran:
Free Reza Shahabi immediately and unconditionally

The Swedish Trade Union Confederation LO, The Swedish Transport Workers´ Union, IF Metall and the Swedish Municipal Workers´ Union have been following the situation of Reza Shahabi, a member of the board of directors of the Syndicate of Workers of the Bus Company of Tehran and the Suburbs, for many years. Reza Shahabi's activities in defence of the rights of workers in Iran are entirely within the framework of the internationally recognized standards and the ILO conventions. Reza Shahabi has been arrested many times for his activities and has spent many years in prison. Reza has suffered various diseases because of torture and the lack of health facilities during these years.

According to the Syndicate of Workers of the Bus Company of Tehran and the Suburbs, Reza Shahabi, after being recalled to prison, was sentenced arbitrarily to extended prison terms including the time he was on medical leave, which means 968 extra days of imprisonment to “compensate” untold circumstances. In protest he went on hunger strike and ended it only when the directors of prison promised to reconsider all these alleged new prison terms. But nothing happened.

According to recent information from Reza Shahabi’s family he has suffered a slight cerebral stroke in prison a few days ago. His life is now in danger. The signatories of this letter object to the imprisonment of Reza Shahabi and demand solemnly his immediate and unconditional release to let him profit from a proper medical care corresponding to his deteriorated health conditions.

We remind that as a member of ILO The Islamic Republic of Iran is obliged to respect all ILO Conventions on Workers' Rights, such as the Convention on the Freedom of Association and the Right to Organize and the Convention on the Right to organize.

Stockholm 20 December 2017

The Swedish Trade Union Confederation, LO

The Swedish Transport Workers’ union, Transport

Industrial and Metal Workers’ Union (IF Metall)

Swedish Municipal Workers’ Union, Kommunal