To: International Labour Organization and Worker’s Unions
I am writing to urge you to support Mahmoud Salehi a worker’s activist in the city of Saqez, Iran. Mr. Salehi was arrested once again on April 9, 2007 and has been jailed in the city of Sanandaj.
Mr. Salehi’s “crime” as other colleagues such as Jalal Houssini, Mohsen Hakimi, Mohamad Abdipour and I, is organizing the International Worker’s Day (IWD) celebration and defending the rights of workers in May 2004.
IWD is a part of an International Agreement which Iran has accepted. At the same time, it is the basic right of workers to celebrate this day. However, our attempt to commemorate this day was interrupted by the police intervention and detentions of many participants in 2004.
Mahmoud Salehi has done nothing wrong to be jailed for. His well-being is at risk because he has lost one of his kidneys and the other one is half active.
Due to continue support by Labour organizations around the world in the past, the Islamic Republic of Iran was not able to imprison any of us for a long time. But repeated detaining, pressure on our family members and assault by the Iranian authorities have been a part of our life; this need to be ended.
As a worker activist who consider himself as a member the International Labour Movement, I urge you put pressure on the Islamic Republic of Iran an demand unconditional release of Mahmoud Salehi and drop the verdict against our case which is know as “the May 2004 case”
Sincerely,
Borhan Divargar
Cc:
International Confederation of free Trade Unions
Guy Rayder
Ms. Anne Bivendy
Amnesty International
Labour Unions and Human Rights Organizations