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News :: struggles |
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Seven Saqez Labour Leaders Arrested, 3 Convicted to Date |
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by International Alliance in Support of Workers in Iran |
03 Dec 2005
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Iranian labor activists have been sentenced to up to 5 years in prison for organizing a May Day rally. |
According to a verdict issued yesterday to the lawyers of the 7 arrested leaders of Saqez (who were arrested at a May Day even on May 1, 2004), the order against 4 of these activists has been announced as follows:
1- Mahmoud Salehi, 5 years in jail and 3 years in exile in the city of Ghorveh
2- Jalal Hosseini, 3 years in jail
3- Hadi Tanomand, Acquitted
4- Esmaeel Khodkam, Acquitted
The decree for the remaining three, Mohsen Hakimi, Borhan Divargar and Mohammad Aabdipour has not been issued yet.
According to this verdict, The above 4 were found not guilty of association with Komala (an opposition political organization), and their verdict was issued based on the article 610 of the Islamic Punishment Act which states: “Anytime two or more people congregate or conspire to commit acts of crime against the national security either inside or outside the country, or even facilitate the requirements of such acts, if they would not be found as the defiance of god then they will be sentenced between two to five years imprisonment”.
This is an outrageous decision on the part of the Iranian justice system and the Saqez Revolutionary Court. The verdict is in deed saying that these labour activists have been harassed, imprisoned and prosecuted and gone through so much hardship just because they tried to celebrate May Day, the International Workers’ Day.
We are calling on all labour activists around the world and particularly international labour and human rights organizations to strongly condemn these verdicts and demand the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all charges.
For more information, contact info (at) workers-iran.org
International Alliance in Support of Workers in Iran
November 10, 2005 |
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