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11 May 2010

ITF General Secretary David Cockroft has today written to the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, challenging him to deny reports that five Iranian citizens, including teachers’ trade union activist Farzad Kamangar, have been summarily executed.

Addressing the Iranian President, David Cockroft wrote:

“It is my sad duty to once again write to you to protest at your government’s continued flouting of international norms. We have today learned of the reported sudden, summary executions of five Iranian citizens, including Farzad Kamangar of the Teachers’ Union of Kurdistan.

The ITF and the rest of the international community is extremely concerned that Farzad Kamangar and others appear to have been killed without due legal process, without notice and without even a chance to say goodbye to their families. This situation represents a horrendous lack of respect for basic human rights and decency.

On behalf of the five million workers in the transport industry worldwide, I now urge you to intervene robustly, personally and immediately to put a stop to the abuse of power and legal process perpetrated by elements within your administration.

I would once again urge you in the strongest possible terms to release those trade unionists – including Mansour Osanloo and Ebrahim Madadi of the ITF-affiliated Tehran bus workers’ union – who remain in jail under threat of violence. The international community of transport workers, many of whom are involved in the import and export of Iranian goods, are watching the situation very closely. They believe Iran can only benefit from the introduction of measures to guarantee respect for the basic norms of human and trade union rights. On their behalf, I would strongly recommend the early release of these prisoners.”

The ITF General Secretary today also expressed his sorrow at the appalling treatment of the families and also backed Education International’s protest over the reported killings ().

ENDS

For more information contact ITF press officer, Sam Dawson.
Direct line: + 44 (0)20 7940 9260.
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International Transport Workers’ Federation – ITF:
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