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Mr. Seddigh Karimi and Mr. Fouad Kei-khosrohi, members of the Board of Directors of the Free Workers Union of Iran, hve been summoned to the First Branch of the Revolutionary Court of Sanandaj.  Based on this summonds, both of them will appear at court today, Tuesday, July 20, 2010 (29 Tir 1389).  These two gentlemen were first arrested and questioned on May 1, 2010 and charged with attempting to celebrate International Worker’s Day (May Day.)  At the court hearing, they were then charged with acting against State security and being a member of the Free Workers Union of Iran.  They are to be tried for these alleged crimes this morning.

We recognize the right to organize and become a member of workers’ organizations as an absolute and inviolable right of the Iranian working class.  We strongly condemn the trials of Mr. Karimi and Kei-Khosrohi for the crime of belonging to the Free Workers Union of Iran.  We demand the immediate and unconditional release of Saeed Torabian, Reza Shahabi, Behnam Ebrahimzade, Ebrahim Madadi, Mansou Osanloo, Mehdi Farahi Shandiz, and all other persons seeking their legitimate and freedom-loving rights.  We ask all of the labor organizations and groups in Iran and throughout the world to stand unified and demand the immediate and unconditional release from prison of workers and humans demanding their rights, and to end the relentless judicial pursuit of labor leaders and labor activists.

(According to a conversation with Mr. Reza Rakhshan, head of the  Haft Tapeh Sugar Cane Workers Union on Monday, July 19, 2010, the security services of Haft Tapeh Sugarcane Industries has demanded that labor activist Mr. Fereydoun Nikoofar vacate his company-provided housing.  They also threatened other workers who lended their financial support to other dismissed Haft Tapeh workers.  They told Mr. Nikoofar that if he does not vacate company housing they will evict him, place all his belongings in the street, and give him extremely harsh treatment.  Mr. Nikoofar, who is a veteran of the Iran Iraq war, was sentenced to one year of prison, six months of which was served and six months of which was suspended.  He was fired after serving his sentence.  This morning Mr. Nikoofar was summoned to the security section of Haft Tapeh and they demanded that in order to get his job back, that he write a contrite announcement refuting all of his previous actions.  The workers who were fired from Haft Tapeh are under extreme financial pressure and if they do make such announcements of repentance, it is because of pressure, not because of  regret for their past actions. The workers hope to issue a letter illustrating the illegal pressure placed upon them, affirming that trade union membership is their irrefutable right, and demanding that they return to their jobs.