Dr Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
President
The Presidency
Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection
Tehran
Islamic Republic of Iran
xx January 2006
Dear Mr President
I write to bring to your attention to the violent outcome of a peaceful strike in Tehran on Saturday 28 January. The strike by the workers of the Vahed Bus Company of Tehran and Suburbs was with the following basic demands:
Instead of granting these demands the authorities in Tehran have further escalated the cycle of violence that began in May 2005 - when 'Labour House' and 'Islamic Labour Council' members were allowed to attack the Vahed activists trying to set up an independent trade union. During this attack, which was led by the Secretary of the 'Islamic Labour Council', an attempt was made to cut out the tongue of Mr Ossalou (the leader of the union). Many of the trade union activists were injured and their office was ransacked by these government-sanctioned 'labour' officials.
This time the attack on the union began in the workers' homes! On the night before the strike the security forces attacked their homes and even took some of their wives and young children into custody. On the day riot police, factory security, uniformed and plain clothes officers, were used to beat and intimidate drivers back to work. Hundreds of arrests were made, including students from various universities in Tehran who had gone to Area 6 to support the workers.
I hope that you can bring the authority of your office to put pressure on the relevant police and security bodies to release all arrested workers, their families, students and other supporters. I believe that they should be released immediately and unconditionally. I trust that you can also assist in dropping all charges against all workers and students.
I look forward to hearing about your positive intervention in this regard in the international media.
Yours sincerely
Dr Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
President
The Presidency
Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection
Tehran
Islamic Republic of Iran.
Fax: 98-21-648.06.65
Email: dr-ahmadinejad@president.ir
Please send a copy of your protest letters to:
Mr Guy Ryder
General Secretary
The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU)
ICFTU
5 Boulevard du Roi Albert II, Bte 1
1210 Brussels
Belgium.
Fax: +32 (0)2 201 5815
E-mail: turights@icftu.org
Mr Juan Somavia
Director-General
International Labour Organization (ILO)
International Labour Office
4, route des Morillons
CH-1211 Geneva 22
Switzerland.
Email: ilo@ilo.org
Iranian Workers' Solidarity Network
BM IWSN
London WC1N 3XX.
Email: iranwsn@yahoo.co.uk