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Repression against labour activists in Iran is intensifying. In recent
weeks, there have been numerous cases of arrests and jailings. Most
shocking perhaps was the sentencing of two women labour activists
(Sousan Razani and Shiva Kheirabadi) to 15 lashes and four months in
prison -- for the "crime" of participating in a May Day celebration.

Additional cases which concern us include: Mr. Abdullah Khani, 40
lashes and 91 days in prison Mr. Seyed Qaleb Hosseini, 50 lashes and 6
months in prison Mr. Khaled Hosseini, 30 lashes and suspended prison
sentence Mr. Farzad Kamangar, a Kurdish teacher, sentenced to death
Mr. Afshin Shams, arrested Mr. Mansour Osanloo, leader of Tehran's bus
workers, in prison since July 2007 We call on the Iranian government
to immediately release these prisoners and to cease all repression of
labour activists.

http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/solidarityforever/show_campaign.cgi?c=416

Your message will be sent to the following email addresses:
info at leader.ir, mission.iran at ties.itu.int,
dr-ahmadinejad at president.ir, info at workers-iran.org, info at judiciary.ir

Two Women Labor Activists Flogged; Their Crime: Celebrating May Day
(20 February 2009) Two Iranian women labor activists, convicted for
participating in May Day celebrations, have been punished by flogging,
the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran reported today.

According to local sources, on 18 February, Sussan Razani and Shiva
Kheirabadi were flogged inside the central prison in Sanandaj, capital
of the Iranian Kurdistan province.

Razani was flogged 70 lashes and Kheirabadi received 15 lashes. "These
inhumane and barbaric floggings demonstrate an utter disregard for the
rights of Iranian citizens by a hardliner clique inside the Judiciary,
who are determined to drag Iran's human rights record to new lows,"
said Hadi Ghaemi, the Campaign's spokesperson.

Branch 101 of Sanandaj Penal Court originally sentenced Razani to a
9-month suspended prison term and 70 lashes. The same court sentenced
Kheirabadi to a 4-month suspended sentence and 40 lashes. The appeals
court reinstated the lower court's sentence for Razani but reduced
Kheirabadi's sentence from 40 lashes to 15 lashes.

The two women were informed of the appeals court's decision on 15
February. Both women were prosecuted because of their participation in
a May Day celebration in Sanandaj on 1 May 2008.

The court also sentenced two other labor activists, Abdullah Khani and
Syed Ghalib Husseini, for participating in the same event to prison
terms and flogging. Last year the Judiciary also flogged workers who
had participated in May Day celebrations.

On 16 February 2008, Sanandaj's Revolutionary Court issued a flogging
sentence and fines for 11 workers who participated in the 2007 May Day
celebration. On the same day, the authorities carried out the flogging
sentences of 10 lashes each for three of the workers, Sadeq Amjadi,
Fars Gooyilian, and Habibollah Kalehkani.

Iranian workers are struggling to form independent labor unions but
face continuous state repression. The government and the Judiciary
have regularly abused the justice system to imprison and silence labor
activists.

The Campaign called on the Iranian authorities to honor their
international legal obligation to recognize workers' fundamental
rights to freedom of association and to form unions to protect their
interests.

These rights are guaranteed by Article 22 of the International
Covenant for Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) of which Iran is a
signatory. As a member of the International Labor Organization (ILO),
Iran is obligated to respect and implement these rights.

"Iranian workers are suffering great hardship under the current dismal
economic situation. There is an urgent need for them to be able to
negotiate collectively and defend their rights and interests," Ghaemi
said.

The Campaign also called on the Iranian Judiciary and the parliament
to abolish the inhumane punishment of flogging from its penal code.
"The parliament is currently considering a new draft of the Islamic
Penal Code and it is time to remove flogging as a punishment through
legislative action," Ghaemi added.