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Iranian Workers to Strike in Tehran TOMORROW SATURDAY 28 Jan
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Liberator



Joined: 29 Aug 2003
Posts: 1086

PostPosted: Fri Jan 27, 2006 4:11 pm    Post subject: Iranian Workers to Strike in Tehran TOMORROW SATURDAY 28 Jan Reply with quote

Tehran Bus Drivers To Protest On Saturday, Stronger with
Support

SMCCDI (Information Service)
January 25, 2006


Tehran's Collective Bus drivers have issued another notice
of strike, in order to protest against their poor
conditions, the lack of the right of having an independent
union and the persistent imprisonment of their colleagues.
The strike is to take place this coming Saturday from early
morning affecting most areas. It will include drivers,
technicians and administrative employees.

Of course, the Islamic republic regime is expected to use
once again of its entire repressive arsenal, in order to
dissuade many drivers to participate, and to use its
militiamen in order to fill the remaining vacuum.

The Greater Tehran has appreciatively 12 millions of
inhabitants and many Tehranis, who are using this cheaper
way of transportation, are supportive of the strikers. The
move is expected to plunge the Iranian Capital into a
relative chaos, as it did during the last two collective
actions.

Users showed, on December 23, 2005, an extreme sign of
patience and their support of the strikers. Many refused to
take the buses which were drove by militiamen and the
domino effect created more complication for the regime, as,
many governmental or industrial employees didn't show up at
their posts or works while being able to justify their
absenteeism.

The same trend was followed on January 7, 2006, when
hundreds of drivers made a symbolic action on a very
symbolic day, resulting in fear among all factions of the
Islamic regime. Hardliners and Islamist 'reformists'.
Partial strikes were made and most drivers put their head
lights, in the middle of the day, for showing their
exasperation. The move coincided with the anniversary the
"Iranian Emancipation Law" adopted by the former Iranian
regime, in 1935, and banned by the Islamic republic in
1979. Of course, this action had fewer echoes as the
so-called "reformist" faction of the regime and most ultra
Marxist groups preferred to pass it under silence. Never
less many Tehranis, especially among females, were seen
considering the bus drivers' move as a hidden support for
the message of modernism, equality and secularism of the
banned law. Many were seen showing the "V" (Victory) sign
(well known in Iran) to each other and to the maverick
drivers.

The upcoming Saturday's move is expected to put more
pressure on the Islamic republic regime, at a time that
it's facing more international pressure. The strike, if
supported by the free world, might lead to the apparition
of a worker movement, such as, the 1980's Solidarnosc
(meaning Solidarity and which was the independent Polish
Shipyards' Workers Union formed in Gdansk and lead by Lech
Walesa) which was able to rally other cities drivers and
various economic sectors behind it and to create the
possibility of radical political changes.

Most National-Secularist groups, such as, the SMCCDI and
the INSP (Iran's National-Secular Party) are supportive of
the strikers and in general of any clean and clear move for
a genuine democratic and secularist change in Iran. The two
movements' members and supporters have been asked to help
the families of the drivers. The expression of this support
and calls on the population to protect the strikers have
been made, at several occasion, on the waves of abroad
based Iranian radio and satellite TV networks broadcasting
for Iran.

The strikers' move and legitimate aspirations are not only
limited to internal Iranian debate and in this line,
several western workers' unions, the International
Brotherhood of Teamsters, and influent politicians, such
as, the U.S. Senator Rick Santorum have already declared
their support of the "Tehran Collective Bus drivers".

In a letter dated, January 6, 2006, Santorum requested from
the U.S. Secretary of State to intervene on behalf of the
arrested Tehran's Bus drivers and the repressed Iranian
People.
Slamming the Islamic regime for the persistent human rights
abuses and the brutal attack of the strikers, the
Pennsylvanian Senator stated in part of his letter: "I ask
that you and other senior leaders of the US Government make
a concerted effort to reach out to groups of individuals,
such as unions and students, to let them know the People of
America stand with them in their fight for greater freedoms
and liberties".

Without doubt, the continuation of such public declarations
and a real financial support for the strikers can plunge
the Islamic regime into an abyss from which it can not
escape. The result would no more lead to just obtaining
some greater freedoms or liberties, but to a total
liberation of Iran due to a secular and democratic
revolution without any need to any kind of military
intervention. The trend has become so noticeable, as
especially the absolute majority of Iranians have well
taken their distances from the regime's "reformists from
within" and some of their docile so-called student
associations, such as, the "Office of Consolidation Unity"
(OCU).

http://daneshjoo.org/publishers/smccdinews/article_4493.shtml

----------------------------------

Comments / Nazariat:
Tel: +1 (972) 504-6864
Fax: +1 (972) 491-9866
E.mail: smccdi@daneshjoo.org

www.daneshjoo.org www.iranstudents.org

The "Student Movement Coordination Committee for Democracy
in Iran" (SMCCDI) / "Komite e Hamahangui e Jonbesh e
Daneshjoo i Baraye Democracy dar Iran"
_________________
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www.anjomane-padeshahi.org
http://aryamehr11.blogspot.com/
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Liberator



Joined: 29 Aug 2003
Posts: 1086

PostPosted: Fri Jan 27, 2006 4:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hamihanan:

I just heard a recording made by an Iranian who had called Tehran to inform of the strike tomorrow (Anjomane Padeshahi Iran-TV). Our compatriot in Tehran had no information of the strike tomorrow.

Please by all means possible to you try to make our compatriots inside aware of this and spread the word on all the political boards on the internet.


TOMORROW (SATURDAY 28 JANUARY 2006) IRANIAN WORKERS WILL STRIKE FOR THEIR RIGHT PLEASE JOIN THEM! DO NOT LEAVE YOUR COMPATRIOT ALONE IN TIMES OF NEED! DO NOT LET YOUR COUNTRY AND COUNTRYMEN/WOMEN DOWN!



Ba Sepaas
_________________
JAVID IRAN!



www.anjomane-padeshahi.org
http://aryamehr11.blogspot.com/
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Liberator



Joined: 29 Aug 2003
Posts: 1086

PostPosted: Fri Jan 27, 2006 8:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

ATTENTION!

HAMIHANAN:


Listen to one of your countrymen pleading for your help on Saturday 28th January, 2006!

http://www.rferl.org/listen/ondemand/bd/getasx.aspx?url=mms://realaudio.rferl.org/wma/ch21/20060127-1630FRD.wma&starttime=03:08&duration=200

Text:
http://www.radiofarda.com/iran_article/2006/1/66ef59cd-1939-4632-8799-449caef2f0a7.html


Iranian Workers are going to risk their lives tomorrow protesting for their lives. Will you leave your countrymen alone at a time they desperately need you!? The workers have announced they will not stand down and will fight for their rights to the last drop of blood.

Tomorrow, you should ask yourself whether you are an Iranian. Ask yourself if you love your country. If you answer positively to these two questions you should be standing next to your brothers and sisters who will be protesting in Tehran.

God Bless You All.

PAYANDEH IRAN VA IRANI!





Ba Sepaas
_________________
JAVID IRAN!



www.anjomane-padeshahi.org
http://aryamehr11.blogspot.com/
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cyrus
Site Admin


Joined: 24 Jun 2003
Posts: 4993

PostPosted: Sat Jan 28, 2006 9:37 pm    Post subject: Hundreds of "Tehran Collective Bus" employees arre Reply with quote

Hundreds of "Tehran Collective Bus" employees arrested


SMCCDI (Information Service)
Jan 27, 2006

http://daneshjoo.org/publishers/currentnews/article_3619.shtml


Hundreds of Tehran's Collective Bus drivers, technicians and workers have been arrested, since yesterday, following the issuance of a notice of strike. The protest action is to start from Saturday early morning and should affect most of the ten transit areas of the Greater Tehran.

Many of the arrests took place, yesterday evening, at the homes of those suspected to be part of the tomorrow's strike and the Islamic judiciary is intending to trial many of them for conspiracy. False charges, such as, "Drug trafficking", "Having Prohibited Arms" or "Endangering the National Security" are expected to be use against the arrested employees.

Threats have been made against the family members of many employees and militiamen have been deployed in the terminals in order to control the situation. The Islamic regime has also transferred many militiamen of the Bassij Force's logistic to fill the shifts of the arrested employees.

The regime's leadership is hoping to limit the impact of the tomorrow’s action by resorting to its usual repressive actions.

The Greater Tehran has appreciatively 12 millions of inhabitants and many Tehranis, who are using this cheaper way of transportation, are supportive of the strikers. The move is expected to plunge the Iranian Capital into a relative chaos, as it did during the last two collective actions.

Users showed, on December 23, 2005, an extreme sign of patience and their support of the strikers. Many refused to take the buses which were drove by militiamen and the domino effect created more complication for the regime, as, many governmental or industrial employees didn't show up at their posts or works while being able to justify their absenteeism.

The same trend was followed on January 7, 2006, when hundreds of drivers made a symbolic action on a very symbolic day, resulting in fear among all factions of the Islamic regime. Hardliners and Islamist 'reformists'. Partial strikes were made and most drivers put their head lights, in the middle of the day, for showing their exasperation. The move coincided with the anniversary the "Iranian Emancipation Law" adopted by the former Iranian regime, in 1935, and banned by the Islamic republic in 1979. Of course, this action had fewer echoes as the so-called "reformist" faction of the regime and most ultra Marxist groups preferred to pass it under silence. Never less many Tehranis, especially among females, were seen considering the bus drivers' move as a hidden support for the message of modernism, equality and secularism of the banned law. Many were seen showing the "V" (Victory) sign (well known in Iran) to each other and to the maverick drivers.

The tomorrow's move is expected to put more pressure on the Islamic republic regime, at a time that it's facing more international pressure. The strike, if supported by the free world, might lead to the apparition of a worker movement, such as, the 1980's Solidarnosc (meaning Solidarity and which was the independent Polish Shipyards' Workers Union formed in Gdansk and lead by Lech Walesa) which was able to rally other cities drivers and various economic sectors behind it and to create the possibility of radical political changes.

Most National-Secularist groups, such as, the SMCCDI and the INSP (Iran's National-Secular Party) are supportive of the strikers and in general of any clean and clear move for a genuine democratic and secularist change in Iran. The two movements' members and supporters have been asked to help the families of the drivers. The expression of this support and calls on the population to protect the strikers have been made, at several occasion, on the waves of abroad based Iranian radio and satellite TV networks broadcasting for Iran.

The strikers' move and legitimate aspirations are not only limited to internal Iranian debate and in this line, several western workers' unions, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, and influent politicians, such as, the U.S. Senator Rick Santorum have already declared their support of the "Tehran Collective Bus drivers".

In a letter dated, January 6, 2006, Santorum requested from the U.S. Secretary of State to intervene on behalf of the arrested Tehran's Bus drivers and the repressed Iranian People.
Slamming the Islamic regime for the persistent human rights abuses and the brutal attack of the strikers, the Pennsylvanian Senator stated in part of his letter: "I ask that you and other senior leaders of the US Government make a concerted effort to reach out to groups of individuals, such as unions and students, to let them know the People of America stand with them in their fight for greater freedoms and liberties".

Without doubt, the continuation of such public declarations and a real financial support for the strikers can plunge the Islamic regime into an abyss from which it can not escape. The result would no more lead to just obtaining some greater freedoms or liberties, but to a total liberation of Iran due to a secular and democratic revolution without any need to any kind of military intervention. The trend has become so noticeable, as especially the absolute majority of Iranians have well taken their distances from the regime's "reformists from within" and some of their docile so-called student associations, such as, the "Office of Consolidation Unity" (OCU).
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Oppenheimer



Joined: 03 Mar 2005
Posts: 1166
Location: SantaFe, New Mexico

PostPosted: Sun Jan 29, 2006 12:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Tehran Bus Drivers Strike Despite Repressive Measures

SMCCDI (Information Service)
January 28, 2006

Hundreds of Tehran's Collective Bus drivers, technicians
and workers have started their strike despite all
repressive methods used by the Islamic republic regime.
Many of the employees have stayed home by forcing the
Islamic regime to deploy its plain clothes security agents
in the streets of the Capital and behind the wheels of the
buses.

The un-experienced appointed drivers have a hard time to
insure the service and many users are refusing to take the
buses in sign of solidarity with the strikers.

Many workers, students and governmental employees, such as
teachers, are using the transport problem for not showing
up at their works or classes. Tracts have been distributed
in the Capital by underground social or workers groups
declaring solidarity with the strikers.

Many cab drivers have put their head lights on and are
using their horns in order to show solidarity.

Many residents are showing the 'V' (Victory) sign. The move
is very noticeable in the Enghelab and Azadi squares.
Militiamen are looking very worry and are arresting the
residents.

The strike has created serious problems in the transport
despite the fact that hundreds of regular drivers and the
Greater Tehran's Collective Bus employees have been
arrested or threatened.

Many of the arrests took place, yesterday evening, at the
homes of those suspected to be part of the strike and the
Islamic judiciary is intending to trial many of them for
conspiracy. False charges, such as, "Drug trafficking",
"Having Prohibited Arms" or "Endangering the National
Security" are expected to be use against the arrested
employees. Threats have been made against the family
members of many employees and militiamen have been deployed
in the terminals in order to control the situation. The
Islamic regime has also transferred many militiamen of the
Bassij Force's logistic to fill the shifts of the arrested
employees.

The regime's leadership was hoping to limit the impact of
the action by resorting to its usual repressive actions.

The Greater Tehran has appreciatively 12 millions of
inhabitants and many Tehranis, who are using this cheaper
way of transportation, are supportive of the strikers. The
move is expected to plunge the Iranian Capital into a
relative chaos, as it did during the last two collective
actions.

Users showed, on December 23, 2005, an extreme sign of
patience and their support of the strikers. Many refused to
take the buses which were drove by militiamen and the
domino effect created more complication for the regime, as,
many governmental or industrial employees didn't show up at
their posts or works while being able to justify their
absenteeism.

The same trend was followed on January 7, 2006, when
hundreds of drivers made a symbolic action on a very
symbolic day, resulting in fear among all factions of the
Islamic regime. Hardliners and Islamist 'reformists'.
Partial strikes were made and most drivers put their head
lights, in the middle of the day, for showing their
exasperation. The move coincided with the anniversary the
"Iranian Emancipation Law" adopted by the former Iranian
regime, in 1935, and banned by the Islamic republic in
1979. Of course, this action had fewer echoes as the
so-called "reformist" faction of the regime and most ultra
Marxist groups preferred to pass it under silence. Never
less many Tehranis, especially among females, were seen
considering the bus drivers' move as a hidden support for
the message of modernism, equality and secularism of the
banned law. Many were seen showing the "V" (Victory) sign
(well known in Iran) to each other and to the maverick
drivers.

The today's move is putting more pressure on the Islamic
republic regime, at a time that it's facing more
international pressure. The strike, if extended due to the
free world's support, might lead to the apparition of a
worker movement, such as, the 1980's Solidarnosc (meaning
Solidarity and which was the independent Polish Shipyards'
Workers Union formed in Gdansk and lead by Lech Walesa)
which was able to rally other cities drivers and various
economic sectors behind it and to create the possibility of
radical political changes.

Most National-Secularist groups, such as, the SMCCDI and
the INSP (Iran's National-Secular Party) are supportive of
the strikers and in general of any clean and clear move for
a genuine democratic and secularist change in Iran. The two
movements' members and supporters have been asked to help
the families of the drivers. The expression of this support
and calls on the population to protect the strikers have
been made, at several occasion, on the waves of abroad
based Iranian radio and satellite TV networks broadcasting
for Iran.

The strikers' move and legitimate aspirations are not only
limited to internal Iranian debate and in this line,
several western workers' unions, the International
Brotherhood of Teamsters, and influent politicians, such
as, the U.S. Senator Rick Santorum have already declared
their support of the "Tehran Collective Bus drivers".

In a letter dated, January 6, 2006, Santorum requested from
the U.S. Secretary of State to intervene on behalf of the
arrested Tehran's Bus drivers and the repressed Iranian
People.
Slamming the Islamic regime for the persistent human rights
abuses and the brutal attack of the strikers, the
Pennsylvanian Senator stated in part of his letter: "I ask
that you and other senior leaders of the US Government make
a concerted effort to reach out to groups of individuals,
such as unions and students, to let them know the People of
America stand with them in their fight for greater freedoms
and liberties".

Without doubt, the continuation of such public declarations
and a real financial support for the strikers can plunge
the Islamic regime into an abyss from which it can not
escape. The result would no more lead to just obtaining
some greater freedoms or liberties, but to a total
liberation of Iran due to a secular and democratic
revolution without any need to any kind of military
intervention. The trend has become so noticeable, as
especially the absolute majority of Iranians have well
taken their distances from the regime's "reformists from
within" and some of their docile so-called student
associations, such as, the "Office of Consolidation Unity"
(OCU).

http://daneshjoo.org/publishers/currentnews/article_3629.shtml

----------------------------------

Comments / Nazariat:
Tel: +1 (972) 504-6864
Fax: +1 (972) 491-9866
E.mail: smccdi@daneshjoo.org

www.daneshjoo.org www.iranstudents.org

The "Student Movement Coordination Committee for Democracy
in Iran" (SMCCDI) / "Komite e Hamahangui e Jonbesh e
Daneshjoo i Baraye Democracy dar Iran"

---------------------------------------------

Tens of drivers wounded, wives taken as hostage

SMCCDI (Information Service)
January 28, 2006

Tens of Tehran's Collective Bus drivers, technicians and
workers have been wounded by brutal militiamen who have
attacked the strikers gathered in some of the terminals.
The strikers were refusing to allow Bassij para-military
members to take the wheels of their vehicles.

Wives of at least 3 strikers have been arrested at their
homes and brought to an unknown destination in order to be
use as tool of pressure against their husbands. Threats
have been made about their fate if the strike doesn't come
to an end and that the drivers and other employees of
Tehran's Collective Bus Company don't start work on Sunday
morning.

But despite all repressive methods used by the Islamic
republic regime, many of the employees have stayed home by
forcing the Islamic regime to deploy its plain clothes
security agents in the streets of the Capital and behind
the wheels of the buses.

The un-experienced appointed drivers have a hard time to
insure the service and many users are refusing to take the
buses in sign of solidarity with the strikers.

Many workers, students and governmental employees, such as
teachers, are using the transport problem for not showing
up at their works or classes. Tracts have been distributed
in the Capital by underground social or workers groups
declaring solidarity with the strikers.

Many cab drivers have put their head lights on and are
using their horns in show of solidarity and many residents
are showing the 'V' (Victory) sign. The move is very
noticeable in the Enghelab and Azadi squares. Militiamen
are looking very worry and are arresting the residents.

The strike has created serious problems in the transport
despite the fact that hundreds of regular drivers and the
Greater Tehran's Collective Bus employees have been
arrested or threatened.

Many of the arrests took place, yesterday evening, at the
homes of those suspected to be part of the strike and the
Islamic judiciary is intending to trial many of them for
conspiracy. False charges, such as, "Drug trafficking",
"Having Prohibited Arms" or "Endangering the National
Security" are expected to be use against the arrested
employees. Threats have been made against the family
members of many employees and militiamen have been deployed
in the terminals in order to control the situation. The
Islamic regime has also transferred many militiamen of the
Bassij Force's logistic to fill the shifts of the arrested
employees.

The regime's leadership was hoping to limit the impact of
the action by resorting to its usual repressive actions.

The Greater Tehran has appreciatively 12 millions of
inhabitants and many Tehranis, who are using this cheaper
way of transportation, are supportive of the strikers. The
move is expected to plunge the Iranian Capital into a
relative chaos, as it did during the last two collective
actions.

Users showed, on December 23, 2005, an extreme sign of
patience and their support of the strikers. Many refused to
take the buses which were drove by militiamen and the
domino effect created more complication for the regime, as,
many governmental or industrial employees didn't show up at
their posts or works while being able to justify their
absenteeism.

The same trend was followed on January 7, 2006, when
hundreds of drivers made a symbolic action on a very
symbolic day, resulting in fear among all factions of the
Islamic regime. Hardliners and Islamist 'reformists'.
Partial strikes were made and most drivers put their head
lights, in the middle of the day, for showing their
exasperation. The move coincided with the anniversary the
"Iranian Emancipation Law" adopted by the former Iranian
regime, in 1935, and banned by the Islamic republic in
1979. Of course, this action had fewer echoes as the
so-called "reformist" faction of the regime and most ultra
Marxist groups preferred to pass it under silence. Never
less many Tehranis, especially among females, were seen
considering the bus drivers' move as a hidden support for
the message of modernism, equality and secularism of the
banned law. Many were seen showing the "V" (Victory) sign
(well known in Iran) to each other and to the maverick
drivers.

The today's move is putting more pressure on the Islamic
republic regime, at a time that it's facing more
international pressure. The strike, if extended due to the
free world's support, might lead to the apparition of a
worker movement, such as, the 1980's Solidarnosc (meaning
Solidarity and which was the independent Polish Shipyards'
Workers Union formed in Gdansk and lead by Lech Walesa)
which was able to rally other cities drivers and various
economic sectors behind it and to create the possibility of
radical political changes.

Most National-Secularist groups, such as, the SMCCDI and
the INSP (Iran's National-Secular Party) are supportive of
the strikers and in general of any clean and clear move for
a genuine democratic and secularist change in Iran. The two
movements' members and supporters have been asked to help
the families of the drivers. The expression of this support
and calls on the population to protect the strikers have
been made, at several occasion, on the waves of abroad
based Iranian radio and satellite TV networks broadcasting
for Iran.

The strikers' move and legitimate aspirations are not only
limited to internal Iranian debate and in this line,
several western workers' unions, the International
Brotherhood of Teamsters, and influent politicians, such
as, the U.S. Senator Rick Santorum have already declared
their support of the "Tehran Collective Bus drivers".

In a letter dated, January 6, 2006, Santorum requested from
the U.S. Secretary of State to intervene on behalf of the
arrested Tehran's Bus drivers and the repressed Iranian
People.
Slamming the Islamic regime for the persistent human rights
abuses and the brutal attack of the strikers, the
Pennsylvanian Senator stated in part of his letter: "I ask
that you and other senior leaders of the US Government make
a concerted effort to reach out to groups of individuals,
such as unions and students, to let them know the People of
America stand with them in their fight for greater freedoms
and liberties".

Without doubt, the continuation of such public declarations
and a real financial support for the strikers can plunge
the Islamic regime into an abyss from which it can not
escape. The result would no more lead to just obtaining
some greater freedoms or liberties, but to a total
liberation of Iran due to a secular and democratic
revolution without any need to any kind of military
intervention. The trend has become so noticeable, as
especially the absolute majority of Iranians have well
taken their distances from the regime's "reformists from
within" and some of their docile so-called student
associations, such as, the "Office of Consolidation Unity"
(OCU).

http://daneshjoo.org/publishers/currentnews/article_3630.shtml

----------------------------------

Comments / Nazariat:
Tel: +1 (972) 504-6864
Fax: +1 (972) 491-9866
E.mail: smccdi@daneshjoo.org

www.daneshjoo.org www.iranstudents.org

The "Student Movement Coordination Committee for Democracy
in Iran" (SMCCDI) / "Komite e Hamahangui e Jonbesh e
Daneshjoo i Baraye Democracy dar Iran"
-------------------------------------

Several buses damaged by angry crowd

SMCCDI (Information Service)
January 28, 2006

Several buses have been damaged in several areas of south
Tehran, such as Rey and Mahalat, as angry crowd protested
against the presence of Bassij Para-military appointed
drivers.

The mob intended to retaliate to the reports on the
brutality used against the strikers and some of their
families' members.

Glasses were smashed and some of the militiamen-drivers
were wounded in the clashes.

Security forces have arrested several individuals composed
mainly of youngsters.

http://daneshjoo.org/publishers/currentnews/article_3631.shtml

----------------------------------

Comments / Nazariat:
Tel: +1 (972) 504-6864
Fax: +1 (972) 491-9866
E.mail: smccdi@daneshjoo.org

www.daneshjoo.org www.iranstudents.org

The "Student Movement Coordination Committee for Democracy
in Iran" (SMCCDI) / "Komite e Hamahangui e Jonbesh e
Daneshjoo i Baraye Democracy dar Iran"

----------------------------------
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Oppenheimer



Joined: 03 Mar 2005
Posts: 1166
Location: SantaFe, New Mexico

PostPosted: Sun Jan 29, 2006 3:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Fire in Tehran Metro Station

SMCCDI (Information Service)
January 28, 2006

Fire forced the closure of the Navab Metro Station in the
Iranian Capital. The incident which is believed to be an
act of arson took place today and on the same day that many
of Tehran's Collective Bus drivers observed a protest
action.

Official sources have attributed the fire to a short
circuit but curiously the same motif was used in order to
justify the burning of a collective bus, happened the day
before, in southern Tehran.

Several other Metro Station were damaged and some of their
drivers bowed by strikers' supporters who some of them were
heard shouting slogans by calling for the solidarity of
Metro drivers with the Bus company's strikers.

Many Iranians and especially youngsters have shown their
support of strikers by attacking militiamen who were
appointed as bus drivers or by smashing the windows of the
collective vehicles.

Many of the strikers and their family members, estimated at
more than 1000 individuals, have been injured or arrested
by brutal militiamen. The fate of many of the arrested
activists is unknown and some have been transferred to
section 240 of the infamous Evin Political Jail located in
North Tehran.

Their colleagues have called on the free world and western
unions and human rights' association to intervene for their
immediate releases.

http://daneshjoo.org/publishers/smccdinews/article_4498.shtml

----------------------------------

Comments / Nazariat:
Tel: +1 (972) 504-6864
Fax: +1 (972) 491-9866
E.mail: smccdi@daneshjoo.org

www.daneshjoo.org www.iranstudents.org

The "Student Movement Coordination Committee for Democracy
in Iran" (SMCCDI) / "Komite e Hamahangui e Jonbesh e
Daneshjoo i Baraye Democracy dar Iran"
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cyrus
Site Admin


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Posts: 4993

PostPosted: Sun Jan 29, 2006 7:33 pm    Post subject: Hundreds of Workers and Drivers Arrested, Strike Banned Reply with quote

Hundreds of Workers and Drivers Arrested, Strike Banned

Posted Sunday, January 29, 2006

http://www.iran-press-service.com/ips/articles-2006/january-2006/sbcts_29106.shtml

TEHRAN, 29 Jan. (IPS) The clerical-led authorities of the Islamic Republic crashed “ruthlessly” a general strike planned by the Union of the Single Bus Company of Tehran and Suburbs (SBCTS) for Saturday 28, arresting “hundreds” of drivers, workers and personnel and their families.

Following of the “savage and inhuman” assault of the police, security forces and revolutionary guards on its members, the 17.000 strong SBCTS’s Union called on Sunday on all workers and unions of the free world as well as the inhabitant of the Capital and Iranians to support them in their strike and protest to the authorities.

On the behalf of the 17.000 members of the Union of the SBCTS, we inform you that our strike was met with an unprecedented assault of the authorities.
According to well informed sources and eyewitnesses,on orders from the Government of the islamo-populist President Mahmoud Ahmadi Nezhad, thousands of security forces in plainclothes, police and militias backed by the Revolutionary Guard’s anti-riot units attacked drivers, workers and personnel of the Bus Company of Tehran, arrested over one thousands, including wives, children and families, beat up the strikers, wounding at least 50 of them, reported in a “very serious state”.

Aimed at urging the release of Mr. Mansour Osanlou, one of the leaders of the Company’s Union and also press for their long due demands, including better work conditions and salaries, the authorities pre-empted by invading all depots, arresting drivers and personnel who refused to work, taking buses out of garages, using military personnel, a communiqué from the SBCTS said.

The communiqué, addressed at both all Iranians as well as all unions and organizations of the “free world’s workers”, informs them of the “brutality” with which the authorities “assaulted and crushed their planned strike and calls on them to “denounce the brutal use of force against the Union’s members and their families and demanding the “immediate release” of all of the detained members.

“On the behalf of the 17.000 members of the Union of the SBCTS, we inform you that our strike was met with an unprecedented assault of the authorities”, the communiqué that was published by Iranian media outside said, adding that “hundreds of our members have been detained overnight, including their families and even children”.

“We call on you, our colleagues every where in the world, to condemn this brutal aggression and urge the Iranian Government to recognize our rights. We call on you to condemn the crackdown on our Union and urge the prosecution of those responsible for this illegal move”, the communiqué stressed.

According to the communiqué, Tehran’s Mayor, General Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf – a former commander of the Revolutionary Guards Air Force and Police Chief --, has condemned the strike, saying the SBCTS’ Union is “illegal” because it is not officially registered. “Does not Mr. Qalibaf know that our Union is one of the oldest in Iran and enjoying dedicated members?”, it said.

With more than 17.000 members, the Tehran Bus Company’s Union is one of the largest, best organized and older of all Iranian unions.

The Saturday 28 January strike follows that of 22 December 2005, which ended after the Mayor cooled down the situation promising to study the case of the Company’s members and help free all the Union’s d leaders detained by the authorities.

The order for the arrest, detention and seizure of all documents of the arrested men was issued by Judge Sa’id Mortazavi, the Prosecutor for Tehran and Islamic Revolution Tribunals.

“They (plainclothes men) attacked at night, raided houses, did not show the slightest regards for small children and women, took the men, searched the house, confiscated everything and destroyed the household, “as if we had been attacked by a mortal enemy”, one source reported to Iran Press Service.

The crackdown follows months of disturbances in the SBCTS, where drivers and the personnel is asking for better work conditions and wage increase.
The first arrests took place early morning on Thursday 22 December by agents from the Office of the Prosecutor accompanied by plainclothes policemen. “The agents raided our house very early in the morning, presenting warrants from the Prosecutor, took away my husband, searched the house and took away all his documents and computer”, the wife of one of the arrested men told a Farsi-language radio station based outside Iran.

The crackdown follows months of disturbances in the SBCTS, where drivers and the personnel is asking for better work conditions and increase of their salaries, freezed since at least four years while prices for everything in Iran has raised by more than ten times, particularly housing rents and basic food.

The malaise started after leaders of the Union, while in a meeting, were suddenly attacked by plainclothes members of the Ansar Hezbollah and badly beaten up, injuring some of the participants and going as far as cutting the tongue of one of them”, informed sources told IPS. “The Government took no action, when it heard about the attack and instead of ordering investigation, ordered the arrest of the SBCTS’s leaders”, he added.

Ansar Hezbollah is a pressure group controlled by Ayatollah Ali Jannati, an influential cleric close to the leader of the Islamic Republic, who is also the Secretary of the powerful Council of the Guardians.

“Strike is labourer’s natural right. For months, we are trying to explain our problems to the authorities. We have talked to most of them, including one of the President’s advisors, but never got any answer to our demands”, Mr. Torabian said, adding that several of the detained people are even not members of the Union’s Executive Committee, “but simple members of the Union involved of informing the people, distributing our communiqués and petitions”.

“The way the arrests were carried out shows that the Government of Mr. Ahmadinejad, the very one that had promised justice and help to the poor, is determined to abolish the SBTCS’s Union, one of the oldest and most powerful of all Unions in Iran”, a journalist told Iran Press Service on condition of anonymity, adding that on order from the authorities, the media had been banned to report the event.

“We call on you to urge the authorities of the Islamic Republic to immediately and without condition free all of our detained leader, to present official apology and promise to respond to our legitimate demands”, the communiqué said, warning the Government that “otherwise, we woud have no choice but continue our struggle”. ENDS SBCTS 29106
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 31, 2006 4:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Tehran Bus Drivers To Stay Home on Friday

SMCCDI (Information Service)
January 30, 2006

Hundreds of "Tehran's Collective Bus Company" (TCBC)
drivers, technicians and workers will stay home, this
upcoming Friday, in order to protest against the brutal
repression of their peaceful actions and the mistreatment
of their colleagues and family members.

Hundreds of TCBC employees were arrested and tens,
including wives and children, were wounded following last
Saturday's strike, by brutal Islamist militiamen and
Islamic regime's plain clothes' agents.
Most of the arrested are kept in section 240 of the
infamous Evin political jail and several of them have been
put in solitary confinement in order to make false
confessions on links with foreign intelligence
.

The Greater Tehran has approximately around 12 millions of
inhabitants and many are supportive of the strikers. Most
workers and governmental employees, such as teachers, are
openly supporting the bus drivers and tracts are widely
distributed in order to condemn the regime.

The repression of the TCBC strikers, who are from the poor
layers of the society, has boosted the already advanced
process of decomposition of Ahmadinejad's administration's
image, just as, the repression of the Students' Uprising of
July 1999 did with Khatami's administration. Ahmadinejad
was declared to be a defender of the poor against the rich
Islamist oligarchs who are affiliated to Rafsanjani and
Khatami administrations. He was supposed to re-establish
'justice' and to make all Iranians benefit of the country's
revenues.

In reality, more and more Iranians are understanding that
the problem is not about men but of the totality of an
ideological and theocratic political structure without any
ability of reform or accountability.

The movement of the Tehran's Collective Bus Company's
drivers, if extended due to a free world's support, might
lead to the apparition of a worker movement, such as, the
1980's Solidarnosc (Solidarity) which was able to rally
various economic sectors behind it and to create the
possibility of radical political changes in Poland.
Solidarnosc was the independent Polish Shipyards' Workers'
Union formed in Gdansk, lead by Lech Walesa, and which was
in opposition to the Militaro-Communist rule of General
Jaruzelski backed by the defunct USSR.

Most Iranian National-Secularist groups, such as, the
SMCCDI and the INSP (Iran's National-Secular Party) are
supportive of the TCBC strikers and in general of any clean
and clear move for a genuine democratic and secularist
change in Iran. The two movements' members and supporters
have been asked to help the families of the TCBC employees.
The expression of such support and calls on the population
to protect the strikers have been made, at several
occasion, on the waves of abroad based Iranian radio and
satellite TV networks broadcasting for Iran.

The TCBC strikers' move and legitimate aspirations are not
only limited to internal Iranian debate and in this line,
several western workers' unions, the International
Brotherhood of Teamsters, and influent politicians, such
as, the U.S. Senator Rick Santorum have already declared
their support.

Without doubt, the continuation of such public supports and
a real financial support for the TCBC strikers can plunge
the Islamic regime into an abyss from which it can not
escape. The result would no more lead to just obtaining
some controlled 'greater freedoms or liberties' in the
frame of the current theorcratic regime, but to a total
liberation of Iran due to a secular and democratic
revolution without any need to any kind of military
intervention.
The trend has become more noticeable, as especially the
absolute majority of Iranians have well taken their
distances from the regime's "reformists from within" and
some of their docile so-called student associations, such
as, the "Office of Consolidation Unity" (OCU).

Many Iranians are looking for President's George W. Bush
State of Union's speech, of tomorrow evening, in order to
hear his comments on Iran and the quest of Iranians for
genuine freedom. SMCCDI and INSP believe that George W.
Bush can surely play an important role, just as; the late
President Ronald Reagan did in supporting openly the Polish
people's aspiration for a total change of the society and
Solidarnosc's movement.

http://daneshjoo.org/publishers/smccdinews/article_4500.shtml

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Fax: +1 (972) 491-9866
E.mail: smccdi@daneshjoo.org

www.daneshjoo.org www.iranstudents.org

The "Student Movement Coordination Committee for Democracy
in Iran" (SMCCDI) / "Komite e Hamahangui e Jonbesh e
Daneshjoo i Baraye Democracy dar Iran"
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 31, 2006 9:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

http://www.state.gov/

Taken Question
Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC
January 31, 2006
Question Taken at the January 30 Daily Press Briefing


IRAN: Government Crackdown on Bus Driver Demonstrations


Question: What is the U.S. reaction to reports of violence and the arrest of bus drivers in Iran?

Answer: We condemn the Iranian Government’s forcible suppression of peaceful demonstrations by bus drivers in Tehran over the past few weeks. The attempts of these Iranian workers to seek the redress of legitimate grievances and the right to collectively bargain have been met by the Iranian Government with arrests, threats, and intimidation.

As we have noted in our Country Report on Human Rights Practices in Iran, the Iranian Government’s poor record on freedom of speech and the freedom to peacefully assemble continues to deteriorate. Incidents such as these clearly illustrate that the Government of Iran is engaged in the systematic oppression of its citizens, including the persecution of individuals for religious, political and other reasons. We support the Iranian people’s right to a free and open society, and urge the Government of Iran to respect the rights of its citizens to express themselves freely without fear of intimidation or imprisonment.
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 01, 2006 6:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bayaaniyeyeh Reza Pahlavi dar moredeh Etesabateh utobusraneneh Sherkateh Vahed:

8 Bahman Maah 1384,

http://www.rezapahlavi.org/messages/rp280106.html

http://www.rezapahlavi.org/messages/rp280106.pdf

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PostPosted: Wed Feb 01, 2006 6:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

US slams Islamic regime for repression of Bus drivers

SMCCDI (Information Service)
January 31, 2006

The United States Government slammed, today, the Islamic
republic regime for its dark human rights records and for
the repression of "Tehran's Collective Bus Company" (TCBC)
employees.

In response to a question taken, at its January 30 regular
briefing, the U.S. State Department expressed support for
Iranian workers and their right to protest for better
working conditions. The today's statement specifically
mentioned bus drivers in Iran, who in recent weeks have
been demonstrating peacefully for the right to bargain
collectively. "These workers have faced arrests, threats
and intimidation from the Iranian government" the State
Department said.

To the question "What is the U.S. reaction to reports of
violence and the arrest of bus drivers in Iran?", the US
State Department posted in its official website, its
spokesman's answer stating: "We condemn the Iranian
Government's forcible suppression of peaceful
demonstrations by bus drivers in Tehran over the past few
weeks. The attempts of these Iranian workers to seek the
redress of legitimate grievances and the right to
collectively bargain have been met by the Iranian
Government with arrests, threats, and intimidation. ...As
we have noted in our Country Report on Human Rights
Practices in Iran, the Iranian Government's poor record on
freedom of speech and the freedom to peacefully assemble
continues to deteriorate. Incidents such as these clearly
illustrate that the Government of Iran is engaged in the
systematic oppression of its citizens, including the
persecution of individuals for religious, political and
other reasons. We support the Iranian people's right to a
free and open society, and urge the Government of Iran to
respect the rights of its citizens to express themselves
freely without fear of intimidation or imprisonment."

Hundreds of TCBC employees were arrested and tens,
including wives and children, were wounded following last
Saturday's strike, by brutal Islamist militiamen and
Islamic regime's plain clothes' agents.
Most of the arrested are kept in section 240 of the
infamous Evin political jail and several of them have been
put in solitary confinement in order to make false
confessions on links with foreign intelligence.

Many of TCBC employees are going to stay home, this
upcoming Friday, by refusing to show up at their shifts in
sign of solidarity with those imprisoned or injured.

The movement of the Tehran's Collective Bus Company's
drivers, if extended due to a free world's support, might
lead to the apparition of a worker movement, such as, the
1980's Solidarnosc (Solidarity) which was able to rally
various economic sectors behind it and to create the
possibility of radical political changes in Poland.
Solidarnosc was the independent Polish Shipyards' Workers'
Union formed in Gdansk, lead by Lech Walesa, and which was
in opposition to the Militaro-Communist rule of General
Jaruzelski backed by the defunct USSR.

Without doubt, the continuation of public supports, such as
those made by US officials and Government, and a real
financial support for the TCBC strikers can plunge the
Islamic regime into an abyss from which it can not escape.
The result would no more lead to just obtaining some
controlled 'greater freedoms or liberties' in the frame of
the current theocratic regime, but to a total liberation of
Iran due to a secular and democratic revolution without any
need to any kind of military intervention.
The trend has become more noticeable, as especially the
absolute majority of Iranians have well taken their
distances from the regime's "reformists from within" and
some of their docile so-called student associations, such
as, the "Office of Consolidation Unity" (OCU).

http://daneshjoo.org/publishers/smccdinews/article_4502.shtml

----------------------------------

Comments / Nazariat:
Tel: +1 (972) 504-6864
Fax: +1 (972) 491-9866
E.mail: smccdi@daneshjoo.org

www.daneshjoo.org www.iranstudents.org

The "Student Movement Coordination Committee for Democracy
in Iran" (SMCCDI) / "Komite e Hamahangui e Jonbesh e
Daneshjoo i Baraye Democracy dar Iran"
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 5:48 pm    Post subject: Several Hundred Unionists Still in Jail Reply with quote

Vahed Workers Under Attack!
Several Hundred Unionists Still in Jail



On February 1st, 2006, a group of family members and spouses of the jailed union workers gathered outside the Majles (parliament) to demand the release of their loved ones. According to the news from Tehran, a large contingent of security forces assembled in front of the parliament to disperse the rally and prevent other people from joining the protesters. Despite the obstacles, about 100 family members of the jailed workers were able to proceed and put forward their demands for the release of the arrested unionists. They stated that their spouses were imprisoned for the defence of their legitimate demands and they must be released immediately. The crowd was joined by three recently released Vahed workers who reported that the total number of arrested people were more than the already reported numbers and may range from 1300 to 1400 and added that the Evin prison is full with Vahed bus drivers and the company’s service and repair workers. The police finally was able to break up the crowd with the use of force; however, the families vowed to gather in front of the Islamic Revolution Court at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 4th.



At the same time, the Public Relation of the Syndicate of the Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Vahed Bus Company the has issued a complaint letter to the International Labour Organization office in Paris requesting interventions by the ILO for the immediate freedom of Mr. Osanloo and “over one thousand” workers who continue to be incarcerated. They also demanded the recognition of the Syndicate and the collective bargaining rights as well as the unconditional return of all sacked workers to their jobs without having to sign any pledges about not engaging in union activities. It has been reported that a small number of detainees have been released however they have not been allowed to return to work and company officials have threatened to fire them. Some workers are being forced to sign a statement of penitence in order to keep their job.



The worldwide campaigns for the release of the jailed workers have grown considerably in the last couple of days. This struggle is far from over and the Vahed union is constantly issuing messages urging the world’s labour movements to intensify their pressure on the Iranian government for the above mentioned urgent demands.



For more information, please contact info@workers-iran.org

International Alliance in Support of Workers in Iran
February 2, 2006



Tehran Bus Dispute
Background
The Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company (“Sherkat-e Vahed”) was formed in 1968 but was disbanded by the authorities in the early 1980s. Instead, a Workers’ House and Islamic Labour Council were formed by the government and the company. In 2003, activists began to re-establish their independent union.

March – June 2005
At least 17 activists are dismissed from the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, including Mansour Osanloo.

9 May, 13 May, 1 June
Members of the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company (“Sherkat-e Vahed”)are attacked by the Workers’ House, Labour Council, company’s guards and the security force. A number of members are injured. Mansour Osanloo, in particular, is severely injured in the attack that took place on 9 May and requires hospital treatment, after which he is taken into custody for questioning.

3 June
The General Assembly adopts the union constitution and elects its leadership bodies despite the blockades of roads and violent interventions by the security force, the company and the Workers’ House. 8,000 of the 17,000 workers employed by the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company take part in the election.

7 September
Seven leaders and members of the union are arrested. They are charged with public order offences after which they are released on bail. They were arrested during a protest against unpaid wages, during which bus drivers in Tehran left their lights on while driving passengers around the city.

22 December
The agents of the Intelligence Ministry arrest 14 trade unionists including its President, Mansour Osanloo.

25 December
3,000 workers of Sherkat-e Vahedwalk out of the job in protest. 17 more unionists are arrested.

26 December
The ICFTU sends its first protest letter to the Iranian government.

27 December
All detainees except Mansour Osanloo are released. Meanwhile, all the trade unionists' bank accounts are frozen and wage payments are blocked.

31 December
Dr Ghalibaf, the mayor of Tehran, promises the trade union members that he will do everything in his power to free Mansour Osanloo and to resolve the other problems.

1 January 2006
150 workers from all the ten Bus Districts of Tehran assemble outside the Revolution Court on Mo Street, from 8.30 am to 1.30 pm, calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Mansour Osanloo.

2 January
At least 5,000 members of the union gather at Azadi Stadium Complex in Tehran demanding the immediate release of Mansour Osanloo. The Mayor of Tehran, who attended the gathering, is confronted with angry trade unionists.

6 January
The ICFTU sends its second letter of protest. The ITF sends its letter of protest - both letters condemn “the inescapable conclusion that a new pattern of repression against free and independent trade union activists is emerging in Iran”.

7 January
The union requests the bus drivers in Tehran to leave their lights on in protest while driving passengers around the city. A new strike date is set as 29 January 2006.

19 January
The ITF Urban Transport Committee held in Paris unanimously adopts a resolution, demanding the immediate release of Mansour Osanloo.

*From late December, trade unions including those in Yemen, Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan, Kuwait, Canada, USA, Germany, Great Britain, Austria, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Lithuania, Australia, New Zealand and Thailand have sent their protest letters to the Iranian government.

26 January
8 members of the union’s executive board are summoned by the court and are not released. In an interview, the mayor of Tehran, a former top military official of Iran, who had made some promises to the syndicate, now calls the syndicate illegal and vows to stop the strike. The government and its intelligent and security forces, as well as the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, are using all kinds of intimidating and repressive tactics to prevent the strike. These include bringing new buses and drivers as strike breakers, distributing flyers in Tehran, accusing strikers as subversive and saboteurs and disseminating misinformation in the streets of Tehran that the strike will not take place.

28 January
In the morning, bus drivers are beaten and forced to drive buses in Tehran. According to the sources from Tehran, about 100 union members have been arrested since 27 January in Tehran. Despite facing heavy repression by police and other armed forces, the strike has already begun in some areas in Tehran. Some 1300 members of the union have been arrested. Hundreds of drivers and their wives and even children have been transferred to the Evin Prison where the jail and judiciary officials are interrogating them. To crush the strike, the security forces used tear gas, batons and the threat to shoot the strikers. In each area where 600 to 700 workers were expected to report to work about 1500 security forces were present. The Police has raided the homes of the syndicate members and the majority of the members of the board of the union are now in custody.

29 January
More than 700 members of the union and a number of supporters are still in custody. Some 30 arrested workers have been seriously injured and required immediate medical attention. Some had to be transferred to the hospital. The jailed workers in Evin prison have decided to go on hunger strike.

Even children are not spared!
Interview with Mahdiye Salimi, the 12 year old daughter of union member who was beaten and arrested

As reported in WPI Briefing, up to 700 workers of the Syndicate of Workers and Employees of Tehran and Suburbs Vahed Bus Company have been arrested. Moreover, the wives and children of some executive members have also been arrested. They were taken out of bed and beaten up during raids on Friday 27 January night. The beatings continued in detention. Substitute member of the union’s executive board, Yaghoub Salimi’s 2-year-old daughter was injured on her face in the attack, when she was thrown into a waiting patrol van. Her 12-year-old elder sister, Mahdiye, described the ordeal in detail in an interview with a radio station abroad. Below you will find a translation of the full transcript of radio “Avaye Ashena” (familiar voice) interview with 12 year old Mahdiye Salimi:


Reporter: Hello.

Mahdiye: Hello. How are you?

Reporter: Thank you. I hope you are alright. Please tell us what happened.

Mahdiye: We were asleep. They rang the doorbell of our home. They called out: Mrs. Salami, come to door for one moment” They were in such a hurry that they didn’t even allow my mom to dress properly. As soon as my mom opened the door, they poured into our home. I was asleep along with Mrs. Zia’s daughter. They pulled the blankets from our bodies and started to hit us with their “feet and hands” and told us to get into the van. Mrs. Razavi wanted to get some clothes for her daughter and they started to hit her badly. They even kicked my mom’s heart with their boots and my mom had an enormous ache in her heart. She still has some wounds on her body. They hit her with a baton and didn’t listen to my mother’s appeals. They even wanted to spray something in my [2 year old] sister’s mouth.

Then they took us to detention. Where we went was not hygienic at all and it was so cold. We asked for blankets. They said “we don’t have any”. “We are just doing our duty”. They hit us so much. We asked for lunch. They brought us the leftovers of their own lunch which was nasty chicken skin mixed with some kind of sauce.

Reporter: Why did they keep hitting you and your mom?

Mahdiye: She wanted to get on the van but first wanted to take my sister to the bathroom. As soon as she started to go, they grabbed my sister from behind and pushed her into the van. My sister hit her head when she was thrown into the van and they also kept hitting my mom.

Reporter: Did they do all of this in the street? Did your neighbours see all this?

Mahdiye: Yes they did. All the neighbours came out and were watching what was going on. When they raided our home, there was at least 70-80 of them while we were only 3 women and 5 children. They rushed to the roof so no one could escape. They even went to our neighbours’ homes and even arrested our neighbours’ guests.

Reporter: What did they want?

Mahdiye: They wanted to know where my dad is. We didn’t know that. We didn’t have any news of my dad’s whereabouts.

Reporter: Where is your mom right now?

Mahdiye: Yesterday they told us that she will be released soon. They wanted to bring her to the Ministry of Intelligence. Somebody said they might take her to Evin Prison but then they said she would be taken to the fourth base of the Ministry of Intelligence.

Reporter: how old are you?

Mahdiye: I am 12.

Reporter: Did they hit you?

Mahdiye: Yes they did. They hit all of us. Even a child from year 1. They made all the children cry.

Reporter: can I ask your name?

Mahdiye: I am Mahdiye Salimi.

Reporter: Why do you think they are doing this? Has your father done something wrong?

Mahdiye: Nothing. My father has done nothing wrong. He just has asked for his rights. The rights that they didn’t give him. For example for every 200 tomans of his wage, they have taken 100 for themselves.

Reporter: Are you going to the prison with your father again?

Mahdiye: Yes.

Reporter: Are you anxious?

Mahdiye: Of course I am. How can I not be? When they took my mother they didn’t even let us to be with her for a moment. They even didn’t let us hug her.

Reporter: I heard that your [two year old] sister was also wounded. Is that true?

Mahdiye: Yes. When they pushed her into the van, her lips hit metal and was badly hurt.

Reporter: Did they continue hitting your mom there?

Mahdiye: Yes they did. They hit her even there.

Reporter: Is your school closed?

Mahdiye: No it is not. It was supposed to be closed because of heavy snowfall but they announced that it was open.

Reporter: So you missed school too?

Mahdiye: Yes. I missed my classes.

Reporter: How many children were there?

Mahdiye: There were 5. Mrs, Zia’s daughter from year 3 (10 years old). Mrs. Razavi’s daughter from year 1(7 years old). And one from year 9 (15 years) and myself (I am 12 year old and from year 6) and my own sister who is 2 and a half.

Reporter: And how many women? Do you remember how many you were in total?

Mahdiye: There were 3 women.

Reporter: Are you the only children who were released?

Mahdiye: No all the children were released but our mothers (my mother and Mrs. Zia) have not been released yet.

Reporter: What do you want from people who are listening to you? What is your wish?

Mahdiye: I want them to defend us. Do something so my mother will be released soon. Now our mother is in detention and there is nobody to take care of us.





Iran: Release Workers Arrested for Strike
Hundreds Detained for Planning Protest


http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2006/01/31/iran12581.htm

(New York, February 1, 2006) ? The Iranian government has responded to a strike planned by Tehran?s bus drivers for January 28 by preemptively detaining hundreds of drivers, including several union organizers, Human Rights Watch said today. Most of the workers remain in detention without charge or access to counsel. Human Rights Watch called on the Iranian government to release them immediately.

The bus drivers, members of the Union of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, had organized the strike to protest the detention of their union leader, Mansour Ossanlu, and to demand recognition of their trade union activities.

?Iran?s new government boasts of representing the interests of working men and women. Their violent crackdown on the bus workers? union make these words ring hollow,? said Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of the Middle East and North Africa division at Human Rights Watch.

The police detained Ossanlu, the director of the Union of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, at his home on December 22. Iranian security agents have since held him, without charge or access to his lawyers, at ward 209 of Tehran?s notorious Evin Prison. Ossanlu is reportedly suffering from a serious eye complaint and is in need of urgent medical attention.

Shortly after news of the planned strike in response to Ossanlu?s detention, the government launched a crackdown against the union?s leadership. Gholamreza Mirzaii, the union?s spokesman, told Human Rights Watch that on January 26, security and intelligence agents arrested the union?s board of directors to disrupt the planned strike. Mirzaii said that he himself fears arrest by the authorities at any time.

The security forces also launched a pre-dawn raid on the home of Yaghub Salimi, another member of the union, on January 28. Salimi was not home at the time, but the authorities detained his wife and two children, along with the wives of two other union officials and three of their children, during the raid.

Salimi, in interviews with media outlets outside of Iran, has stated that security forces beat and intimidated his wife and children, and that his 2-year-old daughter sustained facial injuries as a result of her arrest. Authorities released his family members after Salimi presented himself to the authorities.

On the day of the planned strike, security and intelligence agents identified and detained hundreds of union sympathizers when they showed up for work in the morning. According to Mirzaii, the security and intelligence forces beat and physically intimidated the workers in connection with the arrests.

Mirzaii told Human Rights Watch that although the union has not been able to compile exact numbers, it believes that police detained more than 500 workers, who are being held in Evin Prison without charge. He said that the authorities released a small number of detainees on Sunday and Monday, though they have not been allowed to return to work and company officials have threatened to fire them.

As a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Iranian government is obligated to guarantee freedom of association, ?including the right to form and join trade unions.? Article 26 of the Iranian Constitution permits ?the formation of parties, societies, political or professional associations.? The right to strike is recognized by Iran?s Labor Law. Article 142 of this law states that in case of a dispute between workers and employers resulting ?in the stoppage of work while workers are present in the workplace or in deliberate reduction of production by the workers,? a mediation board shall investigate the dispute.

The Union of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company was founded in 1969, but has been inactive since 1979. The bus workers resumed their trade union activities in 2004. However, the government has refused to recognize the union.

Human Rights Watch called on the Iranian government to stop its persecution of workers and their families, not to retaliate against the workers, and to guarantee their safe return to work.

Same report in Farsi :http://hrw.org/persian/press/2006/iran_workerdetention_020206_pr.pdf
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 03, 2006 11:55 am    Post subject: Vahed (Bus Strike) Update February 3, 2006 Reply with quote


Vahed (Bus Strike) Update February 3, 2006



Amnesty International Calls for Release Of Bus Workers

February 02, 2006
Amnesty International
Public Statement
http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGMDE130072006

Amnesty International is calling on the Iranian authorities to release immediately hundreds of Tehran bus workers who were detained last week apparently to pre-empt threatened strike action. Although some of the workers have been released, hundreds are reported still to be detained without charge or trial at Tehran’s Evin Prison.

The arrests began after the executive committee of the Union of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, which represents workers employed by the United Bus Company of Tehran (Sharekat-e Vahed), called for a strike on 28 January in support of various union demands. These included the release of the union’s leader, Mansour Ossanlu, who has been detained without charge or trial since 22 December 2005, the introduction of collective bargaining and for the bus company, which is run by the Tehran local authority, to grant a pay increase.

According to reports, leaflets announcing the strike were widely distributed in Tehran on 24 January 2006 and one member of the union’s executive, Hosseini Tabar, was detained for about four hours while helping with this. Next day, six other members of the union’s executive committee - Ebrahim Madadi, Mansour Hayat Ghaybi, Seyed Davoud Razavi, Sa’id Torabian, Ali Zad Hossein and Gholamreza Mirza’i - were summoned to appear at the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Tehran. When they did so on 26 January, they were arrested when they refused to call off the strike and taken to Evin Prison. Interviewed by the official IRNA news agency, the Mayor of Tehran reportedly described the union as illegal and said that the authorities would not permit the strike to go ahead. The United Bus Company’s management threatened workers who supported the strike call with the loss of their jobs.

The authorities then carried out mass arrests of union members on 27 January, the eve of the threatened strike, detaining some workers as they completed their shifts and others at their homes. Those detained included the wives of Mansour Hayat Ghaybi and Seyed Davoud Razavi, and a third union leader, Yaghub Salimi.

Security forces raided Yaghub Salimi’s home after he was interviewed by a Berlin-based radio station but he was absent at the time. However, his wife and their children were beaten and detained. Mahdiye Salimi, aged 12, described her ordeal later in a radio interview. She said that three women and five children had been arrested, that they had been beaten and that her two-year-old sister had been injured when she was pushed roughly into a security forces vehicle, and that her mother had been kicked in the chest. Mahdiye Salimi was released, together with her mother and young sister, when Yaghub Salimi gave himself up to the security forces. The other children and women who were detained are also now reported to have been released.

Hundreds more union members are reported to have been arrested on the day of the strike, 28 January, with most of these also being taken to Evin Prison. Workers were reportedly beaten with batons, punched, kicked and threatened to force them to work, including by members of the volunteer Basij force who had apparently been brought in replace striking workers, and security forces reportedly used tear gas and fired shots into the air. Further arrests were reported on 29 and 30 January.

Currently, only some 30 to 50 of those detained are reported to have been released, apparently after they agreed under duress to sign guarantees that they would not participate in strikes or other protest actions. As many as 500 others are believed still to be held at Evin Prison without access to lawyers or family. Some are reported to have started a hunger strike on 29 January to protest their detention. Another strike has been called for 2 February 2006.

Amnesty International is concerned that those detained are being held solely on account of their peaceful activities as trade unionists and as such are prisoners of conscience who should be released immediately and unconditionally. The right to form and join trade unions is well-established in international law, notably under Article 22 of the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and Article 8 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). Iran is a state party to both of these treaties.

Iran is also a member of the International Labour Organization and bound by its requirements, including the ILO Committee on Freedom of Association’s ruling that it is not legitimate for states to restrict the right to strike during disputes concerning workers’ occupational and economic interests. States can restrict the right to strike only in cases of acute national emergency (and then for a limited period only), which is clearly not the situation which prevails in Tehran. Freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining are core principles of the ILO’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, which requires all state parties “to respect, to promote and to realize, in good faith and in accordance with the Constitution, the principles [of the Declaration].â€

Background Information
The union representing Tehran’s bus workers was banned after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, then reactivated in 2004 although it is not legally-recognized. On 22 December 2005, police arrested 12 of the union’s leaders at their homes but quickly released four of them. Further union members were arrested on 25 December while staging a bus strike in Tehran to call for the release of their colleagues but they and all those arrested earlier were released in the following days with the exception of Mansour Ossanlu. He continues to be detained and to be denied access to a lawyer, and is said possibly to be facing serious charges of having contact with exiled opposition groups and instigating armed revolt.

Seven union members, including Mansour Hayat Ghaybi; Ebrahim Madadi; Reza Tarazi; Gholamreza Mirza’i; Abbas Najand Kouhi and Ali Zad Hossein, were reportedly summoned to appear before a Revolutionary Court in Tehran on 1 January 2006 to face public order charges but their trial was postponed when other union members protested outside the court.

On 7 January, five drivers were reportedly detained when bus company workers staged another strike but later freed.

For further information please see Urgent Action AI Index MDE 13/002/2006 which can be found at http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGMDE130022006?open&of=ENG-IRN


Iran: Persecution of Trade Unionists Escalates

February 02, 2006
International Confederation of Free Trade Unions
ICFTU
Brussels -- Iranian authorities have again targeted trade unionists at Sherkate Vahed, Teheran’s bus company, in the latest wave of brutal repression. The ICFTU, in a letter to the country’s authorities, strongly condemned the new arrests of several hundred trade unionists and their families, including eight executive members of the Sherkate Vahed union. The union’s leader, Mansour Osanloo, has been in prison since 22 December.

On 24 January, the Iranian union called for a strike on the 28th, in protest at the continued detention of Osanloo and in support of a collective bargaining agreement at the bus company. A dramatic chain of events was to follow. On 25 January, the members of the union’s executive bureau met with the bus company’s managers to inform them of their intentions despite the fact that eight of them had been summonsed to appear before the revolutionary court on the 26th. They have not been seen since their court appearance. According to the information available to us, they are thought to be in detention at Evin prison, where Mansour Osanloo has been held, in a high security area, since 22 December.

During the strike that nonetheless went ahead on 28 January, hundreds of trade unionists and their families were arrested. Many continue to work under great pressure, others have been severely beaten. The government is determined not to let the press cover this news. According to diplomatic sources in Teheran, over 500 trade unionists are thought to be currently in prison. In a letter addressed to President Mahmoud Ahmadjinejad, the ICFTU firmly opposed this surge in repression and violence being levelled against workers in Iran, insisting that “social dialogue, the organisation of workers and collective bargaining are essential to lasting social peaceâ€.

As member of the ILO, Iran has obligations to fulfil, such as respect for freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining. The ILO Committee on Freedom of Association is currently dealing with a compliant lodged against Iran. These latest violations will be added to the case.

The ICFTU represents 155 million workers in 236 affiliated organisations in 154 countries and territories. The ICFTU is also a partner in Global Unions
Iran’s secret police raids homes of striking bus drivers

Tehran, Iran, Feb. 02 – Agents of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS), the country’s secret police, have been conducting night raids into the homes of striking bus drivers and workers in Tehran in recent days, arresting hundreds of union activists and, in some cases, detaining family members to blackmail strikers.

Iran Focus has learnt from sources in Tehran that the number of prisoners being held inside the notorious Evin Prison in the Iranian capital has risen sharply in recent days.

“More than a thousand people arrested over the past week on political charges have been brought to Evinâ€, a dissident worker who requested anonymity said in a telephone interview.

"Most are being held in Evin's ward 209, which is run by the secret policeâ€, he added.

On Saturday, clashes erupted between Tehran’s transit workers and State Security Forces as large numbers of bus drivers who had planned to go on strike on the day were arrested.

All those taken to Evin Prison this week are being questioned several times in a rotating pattern, the source said.

Evin Prison was built by the Shah’s regime as a modern security prison to house political dissidents, but it became the Islamic Republic’s most dreaded gulag and the site of numerous political executions.


IRAN: Mass arrest of bus drivers

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=51500&SelectRegion=Asia&SelectCountry=IRAN
[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]
ANKARA, 1 Feb 2006 (IRIN) - Hundreds of bus drivers in Iran have been arrested without charge or access to counsel, the international rights NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said.

In a pre-emptive move by the government aimed at thwarting plans for a strike by the drivers, several union organisers were also detained. The exact number of detainees is not known, although some union officials are reported to have said the figure is between 500 and 700 drivers.

HRW said on Wednesday that the drivers had organised the strike to protest at the detention of their union leader, Mansour Ossanlu, who was arrested on 22 December at his home following months of protests by the drivers. Thirteen others members of the union were arrested along with Ossanlu, charged with engaging in ?illegal activities?.

The group, who represents thousands of bus drivers, had been protesting against poor wages and the right to form an independent union.

The rights watchdog said Ossanlu was being held in Tehran?s notorious Evin prison without access to his lawyers and that he is suffering from a serious eye complaint and is in need of medical attention.

"Iran's new government boasts of representing the interests of working men and women. Their violent crackdown on the bus workers' union make these words ring hollow," Sarah Leah Whitson, HRW's executive director of the Middle East and North Africa division, told Reuters.

The union?s spokesman, Gholamreza Mirzaii, told HRW that the union?s board of directors was arrested on 26 January. Mirzaii said that the authorities released some detainees on Sunday and Monday, although they had not been allowed to return to work. Many now face the sack, according to the union.

The Union of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, which was founded in 1969, was not resurrected after the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Although the bus workers resumed trade union activities in 2004, the government has refused to recognise the union.

Mass arrests in Iran, hundreds detained with no crime

IRIN
Feb 2, 2006
آ http://www.iranian.ws/iran_news/publish/printer_12860.shtml
Hundreds of bus drivers in Iran have been arrested without charge or access to counsel, the international rights NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said.

In a pre-emptive move by the government aimed at thwarting plans for a strike by the drivers, several union organisers were also detained. The exact number of detainees is not known, although some union officials are reported to have said the figure is between 500 and 700 drivers.

HRW said on Wednesday that the drivers had organised the strike to protest at the detention of their union leader, Mansour Ossanlu, who was arrested on 22 December at his home following months of protests by the drivers. Thirteen others members of the union were arrested along with Ossanlu, charged with engaging in 'illegal activities'.

The group, who represents thousands of bus drivers, had been protesting against poor wages and the right to form an independent union.

The rights watchdog said Ossanlu was being held in Tehran's notorious Evin prison without access to his lawyers and that he is suffering from a serious eye complaint and is in need of medical attention.

"Iran's new government boasts of representing the interests of working men and women. Their violent crackdown on the bus workers' union make these words ring hollow," Sarah Leah Whitson, HRW's executive director of the Middle East and North Africa division, told Reuters.

The union's spokesman, Gholamreza Mirzaii, told HRW that the union's board of directors was arrested on 26 January. Mirzaii said that the authorities released some detainees on Sunday and Monday, although they had not been allowed to return to work. Many now face the sack, according to the union.

The Union of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, which was founded in 1969, was not resurrected after the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Although the bus workers resumed trade union activities in 2004, the government has refused to recognise the union.
Several hundred unionists and members of their family arrested at Sherkate Vahed

http://www.icftu.org/displaydocument.asp?Index=991223374&Language=EN

Mr. Mahmoud Ahmadjinejad,
President of the Republic
The Presidency,
Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection,
Tehran
Islamic Republic of Iran

Fax: + 98-21-6648.06.65 or: + 98 21 649 5880

TUR/JS 30 January 2006

Dear Mr. President,

Several hundred unionists and members of their family arrested at Sherkate Vahed (Tehran Bus Company)

I have written to you repeatedly concerning the heavy repression of the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company (“Sherkate Vahedâ€) (the Syndicate). Although I have not yet received any single reply to my previous letters, I now have to write you again to protest in the strongest possible terms against the latest wave of arrests, which has affected several hundred Sherkate Vahed unionists and their relatives, as well as against the arrest of eight members of the Syndicate’s Executive Board, and the continued detention of its leader, our colleague Mansour Osanloo.

The ICFTU has been informed that on 24 January the Syndicate called for strike action to take place on 28 January, in order to demand the release of Mansour Osanloo, recognition of the union, and the negotiation of a collective bargaining agreement at the bus company.

On 25 January members of the Executive Board held a meeting with the CEO of Vahed Bus Company, Mr. Mohammad Ahmadi Bafandeh, who asked them not to give interviews to foreign press reporters, as it could “hurt the governmentâ€. Furthermore, he informed them that their leader, Mr. Osanloo, would not be released because the government wanted to “show that the arrest was right in the first place†(!). The Board members of the Syndicate informed him of their demands, and of their intent to go ahead with the strike if their demands were not met, despite the fact that eight among them had been summoned to appear in court the following day.

On 26 January Ebrahim Madadi, the Deputy Director of the Syndicate, Abbas Najand Koodaki, Naser Gholami, Davood Rezaei, Ali Zadeh Hosseini, Saeed Torabian, Mansoor Hayat-Gheibi, and Abdulreza Tarazi, all members of the Syndicate’s Executive Board, went to the Revolutionary Court. They never returned and, according to our information, are now detained in Evin Prison, where Mansour Osanloo is still being held in a high security section, without access to a lawyer or medical care, despite his poor health condition. Moreover, his wife has only been allowed to visit him twice, briefly, during his long detention.

Despite these arrests, and the arrest of five more Vahed workers, Mahmood Hazhirie, Naser Gholami, Khani, Gholam Khosh Maram and Moradvand, the Syndicate went ahead with the strike on 28 January. Security forces used tear gas, batons and even threatened to shoot the strikers in order to crush the strike. Police arrested several hundred union members during the strike, and several were arrested at their homes. The ICFTU has received reports of figures varying from 400 to 1300 arrested workers. Whatever the exact number, several hundred detentions have undoubtedly taken place, which is in any event a completely disproportionate and unacceptable response to legitimate industrial action.

Many workers were forced by security forces to continue work, while many others were beaten up. About 30 workers reportedly sustained serious injuries and required medical attention. Among those arrested are the majority of the Syndicate’s Executive Board members. In some cases, their relatives (wives and children) were also arrested. The wife and two daughters of Mr. Salimi, a substitute member of the Executive Board, were brutally arrested at home and were only released on condition that he surrender to the authorities. All those detained have reportedly been transferred to Evin Prison for interrogation. Some of the arrested workers went on hunger strike.

During the strike, Government and City officials deployed extra busses and drivers to prevent the strike from halting traffic and, along with management, they stated that all the arrested workers would be fired. The Mayor of Tehran, Mr. Ghalibaf, a former top military official, who had previously made some promises to the Syndicate (all unfulfilled), has now reportedly told journalists that the Syndicate was “illegalâ€. There were also reports that arrested workers were forced to sign a statement of penitence in order to keep their job.

The ICFTU has been informed that a minority of arrested workers and all the detained relatives have now been released. However, several hundred workers are still held in Evin Prison.

The ICFTU is very concerned at this escalation of the conflict at the Vahed Bus Company, and believes that violent repression of legitimate workers’ demands is totally unacceptable. Proper social dialogue - starting with recognition of the union and collective bargaining in good faith - is the only means to ensure lasting social peace.

We further remain concerned that contacts with foreign reporters are discouraged, and that management and authorities try to prevent workers from making their demands publicly known and calling for international solidarity, which are fundamental trade union rights.

The continued harassment of Syndicate leaders and members as well as the severe sentences handed down last year in the Saqez trials indicate that the Government of Iran is still not prepared to meet its international obligations as a member of the ILO, in particular with respect to the principles of freedom of association and collective bargaining. However, I urge you once more to issue appropriate instructions to your country’s judicial and security authorities to immediately release Mr. Mansour Osanloo, as well as the many hundred other unionists who are now detained, and to drop all charges against labour activists and quash sentences against the Saqez union activists.

The severe repression of trade unionists calling for legitimate workers’ rights has already deeply tarnished the image of your country among the international trade union community. We will continue to monitor respect of fundamental workers’ rights in Iran. And we will also bring the above violations of core labour standards to the attention of the ILO.

In the meantime, I look forward to your immediate and decisive action in these matters.


Yours sincerely

General Secretary

Copies :

- Mr. Juan Somavia, Director General, International Labour Office, Geneva
- Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations in Geneva
- Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Brussels
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 03, 2006 12:15 pm    Post subject: Tehran bus workers under attack - update Reply with quote

Tehran bus workers under attack - update

http://libcom.org/news/article.php/iran-bus-strike-update13-300106

Hundreds of striking bus workers of the state-owned Vahed bus company are still in detention in Tehran today following the vicious attack by thousands of members of the security forces on their strike on Saturday 28th January.

Reports are coming in of more arrests last night and today, in particular in transport districts 4, 5 and 6. A gathering of workers in district 6 last night to press for the release of their jailed colleagues was attacked by the security forces, resulting in more arrests. Workers are being intimidated into signing pledges to give up strike and protest actions or risk being fired. This morning around 200 members of the security forces swarmed district 4, threatening families not to take part in any protest action.

The arrests started from Friday 27th January, the eve of the strike, during police raids on the homes of the strikers and union leaders. The management of the company and the company’s Islamic Council worked hand in hand with the security forces to help identify the workers and assist in the arrests.

Union officials said the brutality of the security forces was indescribable. The wives and children of some union executive members were also arrested, but later released. They were taken out of bed and beaten up during raids on Friday night. The beatings continued in detention. 2-year-old daughter of Yaghoub Salimi was injured in her face in the attack, when she was thrown into a waiting patrol van. Her 12-year-old elder sister, Mahdiye, described the ordeal in detail in an interview yesterday with a radio station abroad (summary transcript in a separate release). The wife of Mansoor Hayat Gheibi is still in prison.

On Saturday, as the workers arrived at the picket lines, they were rounded up. Many were verbally abused, threatened and beaten up to force them to drive the buses. Those who refused were taken away. Some buses had been moved the night before, and replacement drivers had been enlisted from among the military and mercenary Baseej militia.

The majority of the detainees are now in the high security Evin Prison, where the seven members of the union’s leadership, including the head of the executive, Mansoor Ossanlou, were already being held. This prison is notorious for being the centre for the jailing, torture and execution of thousands of political prisoners.

The strike has had the unanimous support of the 17,000 employees of the state-owned company, who have been battling the management and authorities since last year. Their demands include a decent pay increase, introduction of collectively negotiated agreements and recognition of their union. Since the arrest of their leaders, they have been fighting for their release too. The head of the union, Ossanlou, has been in jail for over five weeks.

In a letter to world labour and progressive organisations, the union executive said that in the light of what the Islamic Republic regime had done, they had no option but to continue with their fight with even greater resolve and unity. It thanked international labour and progressive organisations for their solidarity so far and appealed to them to keep up their support.

WPI has called for a powerful and immediate response to the bus workers’ appeal by all possible means.

Protest letters may be sent to the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran dr-ahmadinejad@president.ir . Please forward copies to us so that they may be brought to the attention of the workers and people of Iran.

A strike fund has been set up in aid of the bus workers and their families. Please make urgently-needed donations to any of the following bank accounts and notify us at the same. All contributions will be individually acknowledged. More bank accounts are to be announced soon. Please contact us for further info.


England:
Account no: 49606174
Sort code: 60 07 38
Bank: NatWest


Germany:
Hamid Rahimpour
Konto Nr11271061
BLZ 29050101
Sparkasse

Sweden:
Konto nr: 400 11 845 429
Nordea Bank


Holland:
Bahman Khani
Bank rekening: 7299850
Postbank, Eindhoven

By the 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.wpiran.org www.kargaran.org www.newchannel.tv www.rowzane.com


BACKGROUND
* Tehran - mass arrests of striking bus drivers
http://libcom.org/news/article.php/tehran-bus-drivers-strike-290106
* Iranian bus drivers arrested after no fares action
http://libcom.org/news/article.php?story=iran-bus-drivers-arrested-action-012006
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 03, 2006 4:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The plight of the TCBC employees continues

SMCCDI (Information Service)
February 2, 2006

Tens more of employees of the "Tehran's Collective Bus
Company" (TCBC) have been arrested, in the last two nights,
by the Islamic regime's Intelligence and Plainclothes'
agents. These arrests are made often brutally during late
night.

The streets get blocked by special cars and a commando
rushes to the home of the subject to be arrested. Employees
showing resistance are beaten and injured before being
arrested.

Some of the arrested are in need of medical care but the
Islamic regime is avoiding giving them the necessary care
in order to pressure their colleagues. One of the first
arrested has had his tongue partially cut with a knife used
by the brutal appointed head of the so-called Islamic TCBC
Union.

Some TCBC employees' wives have been taken as hostage in
order to force their husbands to give up themselves.

Those arrested are transferred to the sections 240 and 209
of the infamous Evin prison which are already over crowded,
following the arbitrary arrests made last Saturday?s after
the brutal crackdown on strikers. The inmates qualified as
"Security problem" are being questioned several times in a
rotating pattern and some are pressured in order to sign
false confessions on links with foreign power.

The regime hopes to break the will of their colleagues who
have declared staying home on Friday.

http://daneshjoo.org/publishers/currentnews/article_3773.shtml

----------------------------------

Comments / Nazariat:
Tel: +1 (972) 504-6864
Fax: +1 (972) 491-9866
E.mail: smccdi@daneshjoo.org

www.daneshjoo.org www.iranstudents.org

The "Student Movement Coordination Committee for Democracy
in Iran" (SMCCDI) / "Komite e Hamahangui e Jonbesh e
Daneshjoo i Baraye Democracy dar Iran"
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