Iranian bus workers' union leaders summonsed

The global union for transport workers, ITF, has expressed concerns about summonses to attend court issued to Seyed Davood Razavi, a former treasurer of the Tehran bus drivers’ union, the Vahed Syndicate, and to his fellow Vahed executive board member Yaghoub Salimi.

ITF general secretary David Cockroft explained: “We believe that Davood is likely to be questioned over some spurious charges dating back to 2007, of propaganda against the regime, illegal gathering and endangering national security. Similar charges were made against Yaghoub.”

Other bus worker union leaders have been jailed in the past. Mansour Osanloo was recently released, but Reza Shahabi and Ebrahim Madadi remain in jail.

These attacks on the union are also attacks on freedom of assembly and association, and breach yet again the fundamental human rights of workers in Iran.

Owen Tudor