Iran: Many workers beaten and arrested at May Day rallies!

international | worker & community struggles and protests | press release

Saturday May 02, 2009 16:45

by KHC - The May Day Organizing Committee

The May Day rally and celebration in Tehran, which was organized by independent Iranian labour organizations in Laleh Park, opn May 1st, 2009 at 5 PM, was attacked by security and intelligence forces at around 5:30 PM and many have been beaten and arrested. The security forces did not allow more than two thousands people who had come to the park to join the event and arrested tens of activists and organizers and shut down the event before it actually started. According to various reports, the arrested labour activists include: Ms. Maryam Mohseni, and Messrs Behrouz Khabaz, Jafar Azimzadeh,fayeq kayxosravi,Mansour Hayatqeybi,Maryam mohseni,Behzad Khabbaz,Gholamreza Khani,Fatemeh Shahnazari,Saeed Youzi,Mehdi Farahani shandiz,Laleh Mohammadi,Habib Sadeqi ,and Shahpour Ehsani-rad.

The intelligence forces brutally attacked the event’s participants including women and children, by baton and tear gas etc., and forced hundreds of people out of the park. At this time, 8 PM, the park is surrounded by hundreds of security forces and those arrested have been transferred to police stations in Tehran.

May Day rally in City of Sanandaj was also attacked by security forces and plain clothes officers and many were beaten and arrested.

Iran police arrested five labor union activists taking part in May Day demonstrations on May 1 in the majority Kurdish city of Sanandaj in the northwest of the country.

Labor unions have called for demonstrations in Tehran, Sanandaj, Kermanshah and several other cities in Iran to protest lack of goverment action to address economic problems.

Ten union activist were arrested in the East of Iran in Sanandaj. Some of the comrades arrested are Sediq Karimi, Sharif Saedpanah, Majid Hamidi, Xalid Hosayni and Jyan Sobhani and were arrested for celebrating Mayday. In Tehran’s Laleh Park 70 comrades have been arrested and 30 arrested in Tabriz.
More updates will be issued soon.

You can help by sending messages demanding his release and the release of all political prisoners to the Iranian consulate whose details are below:

Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran send edits
72 Mount Merrion Ave.
Blackrock Co.
Dublin, Ireland

Phone: (003531) 2885881
(003531) 2880252

Fax: (003531) 2834246

Email: [email protected]

The May Day Organizing Committee
[email protected]