Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Canadian Senator Stands up for Imprisoned Iranian Labor Activists

 Monday, June 27, 2016 7:33:05 PM

Canadian Senator Percy Mocker's speech delivered last month in Canada's Senate Chambers in support of Iranian Labor Activists.

On May 1, the people of Iran recognize May Day...International Workers' Day, although not an officially recognized day in Iran, Iranians gathered to peacefully call for an end to worker repression and government corruption.
Iranian authorities have always approached the day with violent crackdowns, which usually result in the arrests of innocent workers and activists. Honourable senators, the Iranian government does not allow its citizens to exercise their fundamental and universal rights, and as a result does not tolerate labour unions or protests by workers.

The labour rights movement in Iran tackles issues like inflation, unpaid wages of workers, child labour and government corruption, deceit and mismanagement. I am surprised to learn, through human rights reports, that, since the presidency of Hassan Rouhani, there has been an increase in imprisoned workers and overall repression against labour activities and unions in Iran.

Honourable senators, this brutality is unacceptable.

There are currently dozens of labour activists, in addition to unpaid workers, who are languishing in Iranian prisons. Today I would like to share with you and highlight the cases of some of these political prisoners for the benefit of the Senate of Canada.

Behnam Ebraimzadeh was an employee at a piping company and a popular labour rights activist, whose focus was on defending the rights of workers in Iran also known as street children. Behnam was also involved in some union activities through his membership in the committee to facilitate the creation of free labour organization. For doing that, honourable senators, he has been in and out of prison since May 1, International Workers Day, in 2009. He is currently held in Rajai Shahr Prison, in Karaj, where he is deprived of his basic prisoner rights. Throughout this imprisonment, he has been repeatedly tortured and interrogated and held for long durations of solitary confinement. Inhumane. During one his arrests in 2010, Iranian authorities reportedly broke Behnam's ribs. This type of brutality is unacceptable.

Honourable senators, another striking example of this type of brutality is the case of Reza Shahabi.
He is a board member of the syndicate of workers of Tehran and suburban bus company, also known as Vahed Syndicate, a union organization defending the rights of workers. His crime is peaceful and as an organized activist. His first arrest was in 2005, while participating in a bus driver strike. He has been in and out of prison since then, enduring, honourable senators, long, long durations in solitary confinement in addition to reported brutal physical and psychological torture. Reza was released from prison in September of 2014 on a medical leave to undergo surgery on his back, but, according to human rights reports, he is in danger of returning to prison any day now.

Think of Mr. Jafar Azimzadeh. He is a prominent labour activist and President of the Free Union of Workers of Iran, who is locked in Tehran's Evin prison. He is sentenced to six years in prison for his peaceful activism. Like the other political prisoners in Iran, Jafar has also endured time in solitary confinement, been subjected to physical and psychological torture and pressured to confess on camera.

Honourable senators, yes, we must be reminded of Mohammad Jarahi, a labour activist held in Tabriz Central Prison, who is sentenced to five years in prison for his peaceful activism, exercising his fundamental rights to freedom of association.

Honourable senators, I will stop here, but there are dozens more in prison, workers in Iran, who the world has never heard of. Each and every single one of these courageous, resilient individuals, is paying a tremendously high price fighting for human rights in Iran. The political prisoners who I have highlighted today and the other imprisoned workers are charged with assembling and colluding with intent to act against national security.

In Canada, we know very well that, yes, freedom of assembly or association is a fundamental right of all people, including Iranians. Why should Behnam, Reza, Mohammad and Jafar not be able to peacefully demand equal or fair wages and better working conditions? It is very telling when Iranian authorities are so threatened by peaceful activism.

Please join me...in calling on, in the Senate of Canada, Iranian authorities to end this systematic practice of charging labour activists and workers with assembling and colluding with intent to act against national security.

May 12, 2016

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