To international labour unions and human rights organisations:
In the past weeks, the Islamic Republic of Iran has intensified the repression of protests and political and human rights activists. The security forces of the Islamic Republic have arrested many workers’ rights activists, women’s rights activists, student activists, writers, Bahaeis, lawyers, environmental activists, animal rights activists, and some citizens who attended celebrations and parties, and have condemned them to prison and flogging.
Some cases of the extensive repression include: imprisonment and flogging for sugar cane workers of Haft Tapeh who demanded their legitimate rights; arrest of several women’s rights activists; cruel sentences of long-term imprisonment and flogging against the women who have opposed compulsory hijab and gender apartheid; imprisonment and flogging for those who attended the International Workers’ Day gatherings; group arrest of people who protested the brutal mass killing of dogs; arresting reporters who defended labour activists; arresting signatories of a statement that demanded Khamenei to resign; punishment of the students who supported workers’ protests; implementation of the plan that deprives prisoners from public healthcare; and conspiring against prisoners and assaulting them.
The events of the past few weeks are the general approach of the anti-human and repressive regime against the millions who want to overthrow it. And the regime desperately finds the violence and repression as its only option. As people have increased protests in pursuit of their rights, the Islamic Republic’s repressive efforts to thwart these campaigns have intensified by arrests and imprisonments.
In this critical and difficult times, people of Iran expect from you to not remain silent about the arrests and punishment of the activists. Many international workers’ unions have repeatedly protested the violation of human rights in Iran and have warmly supported the demands of the workers and the people, and now we expect you to increase the pressure on the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Take any possible action, such as sending letters of protest to the authorities of the Islamic Republic, and protest these crimes and injustice. Families of the arrested people in Iran have released video messages and requested the international support and demand for their freedom.
We have stated many times that the Islamic Republic is not a representative of the people of Iran, but it is the government of repression of the people. The terrorism that the Islamic Republic represents internationally is the same terrorism that this regime has used against the Iranian people for forty years, and its direct result has been the murder of tens of thousands of political activists. Any compromise by the Western governments with the Islamic Republic means supporting the regime to repress the freedom-fighting people in Iran. Do not allow this to happen. Let all Western governments be under pressure by freedom-loving people of the world to impose political boycott on the Islamic Republic.
We, the undersigned, urge you all to join us in the international campaign against the oppression of people by the Islamic regime. You can help us stop the new wave of repression in Iran by declaring support of the following demands.
We, the undersigned, emphasize the following:
Summoning, prosecutions, and trials for security charges must be stopped immediately. Haft Tapeh sugar cane detainees, May 1st detainees, imprisoned teachers, women’s rights activists, dissident female prisoners, and all political prisoners must be released immediately.
We strongly condemn the unfair, unjust and staged trials of the Haft Tapeh sugar cane detainees, workers’ activists, human rights and political activists. The verdicts and bail orders issued for workers, teachers and activists must be revoked immediately.
Flogging, a medieval form of punishments in the Islamic regime, must be banned. We condemn the Islamic Republic’s judiciary and its Islamic penal code as a system that protects the interests of the capitalists against the workers.
Assembly, organisation, strike, freedom of expression and belief, celebrating International Workers’ Day, and equality of men and women are the fundamental rights of all the people.
Islamic Republic of Iran must be expelled from International Labour Organisation (ILO) and all other international commissions.
Join us to be the voice of workers, women, students, environmental activists, teachers, nurses, youth, and all the citizens who fight for their rights with the cost of their lives and are subjected to repression, flogging and imprisonment by the Islamic Republic.
The future belongs to the people. Be an ally for the people of Iran and support the struggles of workers, women and freedom-seeking people.
Campaign to Free the Political Prisoners in Iran(CFPPI )
Campaign to Free Jailed Workers in Iran (Free Them Now)
International Committee Against Execution
September1,2019