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PRESS RELEASE
19 November 2006
Mansoor Ossanlou re-arrested
At 8am today (local time), Mansoor Ossanlou, President of the Union of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company (“Sherkat e Vahed”), was arrested in Dasht e Narmak district of Tehran.
Ebrahim Madadi, union Vice President who was with Mansoor Ossanlou at the time of the arrest, was reportedly beaten up by the plain clothes security forces who carried out the arrest. Ossanlou's whereabouts are as yet unknown.
Ends
For Editors
Mansoor Ossanlou, the head of Tehran’s bus workers’ union, was arrested in December last year, along with many other members and leaders of the union, during the bus workers’ protest. He spent more than seven and a half months in prison for his labour activities, without ever being formally charged. His release on 9th August 2006 came following a long worldwide campaign for his release and in support of the bus workers.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ International Labour Solidarity Committee of the Worker-communist Party of Iran Co-ordinator: Shahla Daneshfar (shahla_daneshfar@yahoo.com) Public Relations: Bahram Soroush (b.soroush@ukonline.co.uk) www.kargaran.org www.wpiran.org _____________________ 8 December 2006. For immediate release
Organisations redouble campaign for persecuted Iran unionistsWith Human Rights Day taking place on Sunday and no let up in the ill treatment of victimised trade unionist Mansour Osanloo, the ITF and ITUC have redoubled their efforts on his behalf and this week added to their official complaint to the ILO about the behaviour of the Government of Iran. The organisations have also made public a letter from Osanloo to an Iranian human rights group in which he details the interrogations he has been subjected to while in custody and the threats made that his family can be ‘annihilated’ anywhere in the world (text of the submission and the letter follow below). The submission to the ILO states that: ‘During his time in prison from 22 December 2005 to 9 August 2006 he (Osanloo) was held in solitary confinement for three months and 23 days. He was under severe psychological pressure throughout his prison stay. He was blindfolded and handcuffed at times, and during interrogations he was harassed and threatened that he would stay in prison as long as the police wanted to keep him. The interrogations created an atmosphere which made him fear for his own life and that of members of his family.’ ITF General Secretary, David Cockroft, stated: “Trade unionists worldwide are backing Mansour Osanloo and all those who want to exercise basic trade union rights in Iran – and will do until he is released and the repression ceases. We are continuing to put their case and our protests to the Iranian government at every level. The fact that Mansour Osanloo has allowed us to release his letter – despite the obvious risks to him that this involved – will help us to make that case. Our campaign goes on, more forcefully than ever.” Mansour Osanloo, the President of the trade union of the ITF affiliated Union of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, was arrested on November 19th, only months after being released on bail following a long campaign of intimidation by Iranian police and state security agents that has seen him and colleagues brutally arrested and meetings violently broken up. His release followed an international campaign led by the ITF (International Transport Workers’ Federation ) and ICFTU, now renamed ITUC (International Trade Union Confederation) that involved protests to Iran, demonstrations outside embassies and a formal complaint to the ILO (see www.itfglobal.org/urban-transport/tehranbuses.cfm for background. ENDS Joint ITF/ITUC (International Trade Union Confederation) submission and Mansour Osanloo’s letter to Iranian human rights group the Board of Citizenship Rights Review follow:
Mr. Juan Somavia, Director-General International Labour Organization (ILO) Route des Morillons 4 CH – 1211 Geneva Switzerland TUR/JS 5 December 2006 Freedom of Association: Islamic Republic of Iran (CFA Case n° 2508) Dear Mr. Somavia, Further to the joint ITF - ICFTU communication of 24 July 2006, the ITUC (organisation succeeding the ICFTU and the WCL) and the ITF hereby submit additional information to the complaint against the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran (case n° 2508 of the Committee on Freedom of Association). When the ITUC and the ITF filed their complaint with the Committee on Freedom of Association Mr. Mansour Osanloo, President of the Executive Board of the independent “Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs United Bus Company” (in Farsi: Sandikaye Kargarane Sherkate Vahed Otobosrani Tehran va Hoomeh), was still in detention and had been detained since 22 December 2005. Shortly after the complaint was lodged with the Committee, he was released on bail on 9 August 2006. Bail was set at the exorbitant amount of 150 million toman ($US 165,000) by a Tehran court. According to our sources, union colleagues, friends and relatives had to commit their private property as collateral in order to secure his release. Re-arrest of Mr. Mansour Osanloo Mr. Mansour Osanloo has now been re-arrested, on 19 November 2006. He is again being held in Evin Prison’s high-security area “Section 209”, where prisoners charged with political offences are held. Our sources have informed us that Mansour Osanloo was arrested whilst he, Ebrahim Madadi and Haiat Gaibi were on their way to the office of the Ministry of Labour in Tehran East to discuss the dismissal of over 50 employees by the Vahed bus company. They were all members of the union. This information has also been reported by official Iranian news agencies like the Iranian Labour News Agency (ILNA) and the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA). A week before his arrest he had undergone eye surgery. His eye was still heavily bandaged when he was arrested. Despite his physical condition the plain clothes agents who arrested him were violent. At least five agents told Mr. Osanloo that he was under arrest, but refused to show an arrest warrant or explain to him and his companions the reason for his arrest. Instead they fired gunshots into the air and threw Mr. Osanloo violently into a waiting car. They also kicked Mr. Madadi who protested at the arrest. A judge subsequently informed Mr. Osanloo’s wife that he was being held in section 209 of Evin Prison for negotiations and discussions with the authorities. According to some sources the family was informed that an arrest warrant did exist and was issued by Tehran’s Deputy Prosecutor. The family was also informed that his mother could visit him, but despite waiting for several hours outside Evin prison his mother was not allowed to see him. It was not until 26 November that his wife was allowed to see him, and then only briefly, while he was transferred to court. He did not have access to his lawyers before 5 December 2006. Furthermore, we have just been informed that on 5 December the judge asked for an additional 30,000,000 Toman bail for the release of Mr. Osanloo, on condition that only his wife, Farzaneh Osanloo, could act as guarantor. Mrs. Osanloo refused. According to the ILNA, Mansour Osanloo was taken from Evin Prison to Branch 14 of the Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office in Tehran on 26 November for failing to appear in court concerning the charges pending against him since his arrest on 22 December 2005. These charges are clearly unfounded, given that his case was scheduled for 20 November 2006 and he was arrested the day before. Furthermore, members of Mr. Osanloo’s family had put up their houses for security in order to secure his release on 9 August 2006, making it very unlikely that he would refuse to cooperate with the prosecutor. The ITUC and the ITF consider his renewed arrest to be directly linked to his trade union activities, especially in view of the long history of repression he has already been subjected to. During his time in prison from 22 December 2005 to 9 August 2006 he was held in solitary confinement for three months and 23 days. He was under severe psychological pressure throughout his prison stay. He was blindfolded and handcuffed at times, and during interrogations he was harassed and threatened that he would stay in prison as long as the police wanted to keep him. At times his visiting rights, use of telephone and access to the courtyard were suspended. Interrogation teams changed all the time and the questions were not all connected to the charges against him. He was forced to share details about his private life, his work, and his relationship with friends and colleagues under threat of being kept in prison for 15 years. The interrogations created an atmosphere which made him fear for his own life and that of members of his family. He was told that if he were to leave the country his family would be annihilated. Even after he was released from prison, the harassment continued. He was repeatedly asked to report to the police, and police even called his son and his wife at the workplace. He complained to the U.N. office in Tehran about his situation and it was shortly after that that he was summoned to the Revolutionary Court and threatened with imprisonment. He and his wife were asked to sign a statement saying they would cut ties with friends and colleagues. The continued persecution made Mr. Osanloo write a letter to Tehran’s Human Rights Commission describing the treatment he had been subject to both whilst in prison and after his release. The letter is attached as Appendix I to this communication. Despite the continued harassment Mr. Osanloo has continued his trade union activities and participated in and chaired meetings of the Vahed Syndicate and kept up his contacts with the international trade union movement. The Vahed Syndicate had been invited by the ILO ACTRAV to attend a workshop on “Globalisation and Privatisation” organised by the ILO’s Subregional Office for South Asia on 8 November 2006. On their way there Osanloo and nine other Executive Board Members of the Vahed Syndicate were arrested, in the city of Tabriz (North-East of Tehran). They were held for five hours by the local police. Other participants in the workshop included representatives of the Islamic Labour Councils, but they do not seem to have been arrested. The ITUC and the ITF believe that his continued trade union activities and his contact with international organisations such as the ILO, the UN, the ITF and the ITUC are the key reasons behind his arrest. This calls into question whether the government of Iran is genuinely committed to workers’ rights, dialogue with the international trade union movement and cooperation with the ILO. Vahed members arrested on 3 December 2006 The Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company (Sherkat-e Vahed), has informed us that two members of the Board of Directors of the union Seyed Davoud Razavi and Abdolreza Tarazi and trade union activist Golamreza Golam Hosseini were arrested on 3 December 2006 and brought to police station division number 6. They were arrested in Tehran's Khavaran bus terminal whilst distributing trade union leaflets to fellow bus drivers. One leaflet was the translation of the most recent protest letter sent by the ITUC to President Ahmadinejad regarding the continued arrest of Mansour Osanloo. The other leaflet was a statement by the Syndicate about its activities. Seyed Davoud Razavi and Abdolreza Tarazi were released the same evening. Golamreza Golam Hosseini is still detained as his family has not been able to provide bail, according to our information. The three are amongst the 50 Vahed bus drivers who have been suspended since their job actions last year. They were scheduled to appear in court the following day. Kindly bring the contents of this communication to the attention of the Committee on Freedom of Association as additional information to out complaint. Yours sincerely, General Secretary
Text of letter from Mansour Osanloo to Board of Citizenship Rights Review (no changes made to original text): With greetings and congratulations for the arrival of the holly month of Ramadan, and wishes for your success in tending to people’s affairs! I respectfully inform you that I, Mansoor Osanloo, employee of Vahed Bus Transit Co. of Tehran and suburbs, and president of the board of directors of the Company Union, was arrested by plain-clothes men claiming to belong to the Ministry of Information, one of whom went by the name of Mr. Asna Ashari, in front of my home, located at 48, Western Golbarg Avenue on December 20, 2005 (84/10/1). I was held in ward 209 of Evin prison for 7 months, under temporary confinement. During the said period, considering the rights of citizens and prisoners, I was mistreated in the following manner, which I hope will be investigated by your office. I was held in solitary confinement in a cell for the duration of 3 months and 23 days, with the exception of short periods, during which I had cellmates, who did not have similar charges as mine. One belonged to a group affiliated to Al Qaeda, who believed one goes to paradise by killing 7 shi’a believers, which caused me much psychological distress. In the corridors of the ward, I had to wear a blindfold at all times. When being taken to the Court House, I was handcuffed by the guards. Interrogations were carried out in special rooms and were always accompanied by harassments and threats to the effect that I would be staying in prison as long as they wanted to keep me there, and that the judge counted 90% on what they tell him and my defense counted for nothing. Then, for a full month, my visiting rights, use of telephone and use of the courtyard for fresh air, were suspended. While in prison, I broke no rules. They exerted a lot of psychological pressure by changing the interrogation teams and asking questions, which had no pertinence to the charges they had laid on me. The allegations against me were the usurpation of the union title for our organization and attempt at jeopardizing the security of the country, but they forced me to share details about my private life, my work, and my relationship with friends and colleagues. They had created an atmosphere to make me feel guilty about my family and fear my own and my family’s death. When parliamentarians visited Evin prison, they did not allow them to visit ward 209. My interrogator told me to refrain from speaking to inspectors and keep whatever has happened to me in ward 209 to myself. They made it understood that either I stay in prison for 15 years or I cooperate with the interrogators. They told me no matter where in the world I live; they have the power to annihilate my family. Even after I was released from prison, the harassments continued. They phoned me repeatedly and asked me to meet them to, which I did not comply. Later, in the Revolutionary Court, in an empty room on the third floor, they continued the same conversations. They asked me to contact them once a week and report my activities to them. I did not comply with their requests and fearful of consequences, I went to the U.N. office in Tehran and explained my lack of security and personal and occupational condition to the person in charge of human rights issues. After this, once again they summoned me to the Revolutionary Court and threatened me with imprisonment, and in order to avoid going to jail one more time, they asked my wife and I to sign a statement saying we would not see any of my long time friends and colleagues. I know them for 20 years and among Iranians it is not acceptable to turn away friends or family from your home. The men also call my wife’s work place and my son’s cell phone and ask them to tell me to meet them. This causes a lot of distress for my family. They are so scared of my being harmed that they don’t allow me to go as far as the head of the street alone and they always follow me. The phone calls continue. They asked me to go out of town on a trip. After I left town, they still kept calling my wife’s work place and my son’s cell phone asking them to ask me to contact them. I finally called them last week; they again reprimanded me for not having called sooner. Where in our penal code does it say that a man, who has been released after 8 months in temporary confinement and has placed bail equivalent to 150 million Toumans, who hasn’t been tried and hasn’t been sentenced yet, should meet with interrogators and inform them of his whereabouts? I love my country, my revolution and my system of government, but I want the existing problems and shortcomings of the law and those contrary to independence and freedom in the Islamic Republic to be corrected and people feel happy and satisfied in their own country. I, therefore request, that you investigate the above-mentioned case. I have made this complaint for the betterment of the country and the satisfaction of its citizens and the achievement of a society based on law. Respectfully, Mansoor Osanloo
Monsieur le Ministre Ministère des affaires étrangères 37, quai d’Orsay 75700 PARIS مونتروی – 11 اکتبر 2006 وزیر امور خارجه وزارت امور خارجه پاریس
Monsieur le Ministre, Permettez-moi, au nom de la CGT, de vous faire part de nos préoccupations concernant la situation des militants syndicaux en Iran plus particulièrement la situation de Monsieur Mansour Ossanlu, Président du Syndicat des Travailleurs de la Régie des Bus de Téhéran. جناب وزیر اجازه بدهید، به نام س ژ ت، نگرانی های خود را پیرامون وضعیت فعالان سندیکایی در ایران و بخصوص موقعیت منصور اسانلو، مسئول سندیکای کارگران شرکت واحد اتوبوسرانی تهران، با شما درمیان بگذارم. Non seulement celui-ci a été emprisonné près de 9 mois pour activités syndicales mais depuis sa libération, il est victime ainsi que sa famille, d’actes répétés de harcèlement. نه تنها این فرد به مدت 9 ماه در حبس بسر برده است، بلکه از زمان آزادیش وی و خانواده اش تحت فشارهای مستمر قرار گرفته اند. Cette campagne d’intimidation qui vise son entourage et ses collègues syndicaux a, entre autres, pour conséquence de détériorer son état de santé déjà préoccupant lors de sa sortie de prison. این اقدامات تهدید آمیز که او، اطرافیان و نیز همکاران سندیکایی وی را شامل می شود در کنار سایر نتایج سبب وخامت وضعیت سلامتی وی شده که از همان زمان خروج او از زندان نگرانی هایی را برانگیخته بود. Aussi, devant ces atteintes répétées aux droits de l’homme, nous vous demandons, Monsieur le Ministre, d’utiliser de votre autorité, lors de vos rencontres avec les autorités iraniennes, pour que celles-ci respectent les conventions de l’OIT concernant les libertés syndicales. به همین دلیل به خاطر نقض مکرر حقوق بشر ما از شما، جناب وزیر، می خواهیم که به هنگام دیدار با مقامات ایرانی از موقعیت خویش بهره برده و به آنها یاد آور شوید که کنوانسیون های سازمان جهانی کار را که به آزادی های سندیکایی مربوط می شود رعایت کنند. Nous souhaiterions également que vous fassiez pression pour que cesse cette scandaleuse répression contre les militants syndicaux et que leurs droits à s’organiser librement soient reconnus. ما همچنین آرزومندیم که شما فشارهای لازم را وارد آورید تا سرکوب مفتضحانه بر علیه فعالان سندیکایی متوقف شود و حق تشکل یابی آزاد آنها به رسمیت شناخته شود. Dans l’espoir d’un accueil favorable à notre requête, Nous vous prions d’agréer, Monsieur le Ministre, l’expression de notre haute considération. آقای وزیر با آرزوی استقبال مثبت شما از درخواست ما خواهشمندیم مراتب احترامات ما را بپذیرید. Jean François Courbe Responsable des activités euroméditerranéennes. جان فرانسوا کوربه مسول فعالیت های اروپا و مدیترانه Espace Europe/International Tel : (33-1) 48 18 84 77 Fax : (33-1) 48 18 84 43 Email : europinter@cgt.fr س ژ ت بخش اروپا / مدیترانه --------
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