Appeal from Solidarity Committees with the Iranian Workers’ Movement

Reza Shahabi is a prisoner’s worker who alongside being a board’s director is also treasurer for Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company labour union in Tehran. After being unwell for a long period and a lot of pressure from his family and doctors; he was finally allowed to seek medical help at the hospital.

Previous times he was taken back to prison while he was receiving medical help before recovering, even against the medical staff’s advice. Due to him not being treated properly and due to all the pressure he has been under and lack of medical treatment, he has been showing early signs of disability. This only shows that the prisons security guards are trying to either destroy Reza or make him leave the workers and labour union and stop supporting the workers needs. There have been numerous cases where a political prisoner has died due to lack of treatment, but the prisons security guards have never taken responsibility and only stated that it was a natural death!

We are worried about Reza as we believe that the prison will put much more pressure on him and will not give him the medical help he needs due to his persistence and support for Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company labour union in Tehran. We are also worried as we believe that this sort of pressure will cause him permanent physical injuries.

It’s our job now as Reza can’t force the security officers on his own to take him to the hospital and demand medical treatment until he is well again before returning to prison. If he is taken back to prison, he will be fully paralysed. It is our duty to try all together to prevent this from happening and neutralize their plot.

We have to continuously campaign and raise awareness to the general public, and also put pressure on the government and the prison so that Reza would be able to receive the medical treatment he needs until he is well again. We have to act quickly so that Reza will not be taken back to prison again. There are several necessary and urgent actions that are required to be able to raise awareness like radio and TV interviews, inform International media, arrange conferences and attend other radical group meetings and request help from them and other the Labour Organisations, Trade Unions etc.

We call all freedom loving people to participate actively in these protest actions to bring the voice of Iranian workers and people against the Islamic republic of Iran to the world.

The support for competent workers activists is an obligation of workers supporters and all other radical freedom fighters. Let’s try all together to complete our obligation and save Reza Shahabi’s life and for the freedom and liberation of him.

Imprisoned Workers and political prisoners must be freed!

Down with capitalist Islamic Republic of Iran!

January 2014

Solidarity Committees with the Iranian Workers’ Movement- abroad

nhkommittehamahangi@gmail.com