نسرین بشارت – سازمان بین المللی حقوق بشر کانادا خواهان آزادی جعفر عظیم زاده شد

سازمان بین المللی حقوق بشر کانادا خواهان آزادی جعفر عظیم زاده شد

به دنبال تماس نسرین بشارت، از فعالین “کمپین برای آزادی جعفر عظیم زاده” با “سازمان بین المللی حقوق بشر کانادا” برای جلب حمایت این سازمان از خواست آزادی جعفر عظیم زاده، خانم ویکتوریا سینگ (Victoria Singh)، یکی از نمایندگان این سازمان در نامه‌ای به رهبران جمهوری اسلامی خواهان آزادی فوری و بی قید و شرط جعفر عظیم زاده و دیگر زندانیان سیاسی شد. ویکتوریا سینگ دراین نامه به رهبران جمهوری اسلامی می گوید که سازمان آنها از وضعیت حقوقی فعالین کارگری و دیگر زندانیان سیاسی خبر دارد. گفته است علیرغم جرائم دروغینی که دادگاه جمهوری اسلامی به جعفر عظیم زاده نسبت داده، در واقع او را بخاطر فعالیتهای ایشان برای دفاع از حقوق کارگران از جمله تلاش برای ایجاد تشکل‌های کارگری، جمع آوری ۴۰ هزار امضا برای خواست افزایش دستمزد و غیره محاکمه و زندانی کرده‌اند. در این نامه آمده است که قوانین جمهوری اسلامی کارگران را به طرق مختلفی، از جمله با قراردادهای موقت ۹۰ روزه، ناهمخوانی سطح تورم سالانه با افزایش دستمزد و غیره محدود کرده که حقوقشان پایمال شود، طوری که قدرت خریدشان هر سال از سال پیش پائین‌تر می‌آید. نامه با یادآوری هزینه سنگین داشتن برای کارگران بخاطر تلاش برای ایجاد تشکل کارگری، به نقش سرکوبگرانه خانه کارگر و شوراهای اسلامی هم اشاره می کند.

متن نامه خانم ویکتوریا سینگ به حسن روحانی و علی خامنه ای ضمیمه است.

نسرین بشارت

۶ مارس ۲۰۱۶

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ضمیمه: متن نامه خانم ویکتوریا سینگ به حسن روحانی و علی خامنه ای

Mr. Hassam Rouhani and Mr. Ali Khamenei
President of Iran and Supreme Leader of Iran

To Mr. Hassan Rouhani and Mr. Ali Khamenei,

I am a representative from the Canadian Human Rights International Organization. We are dedicated to fighting and defending fundamental rights such as life, dignity, liberty, security, and gender equality. We fight against all forms of discrimination such as race, creed, gender, sexual orientation, physical and mental disabilities in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights set forth by the United Nations. We are committed to helping those on a domestic level as well as on an international level.

Today I am writing to you to respectfully request the release of Mr. Jafar Azim-Zadeh who is a Labour activist who has been illegally detained. Mr. Azim-Zadeh has been charged with “the intent of acting against national security, propaganda against Islamic Republic, and troubles to public order.” In actuality Mr. Azim-Zadeh is accused of establishing free unions for Iran’s workers that are both employed and unemployed. He has organized over 40,000 signatures from fellow Iranians who are requesting a pay raise. While gathering of individuals is something that is not legal in Iran, Mr. Azim-Zadeh is trying to fight for the rights of the people due to the limitations set forth by the Islamic Regime.

The Islamic Regime has set forth ways to preventing the working class people from receiving benefits as well as being treated to fair rights as income earners. The Islamic Regime has set forth many limitations towards the people in regards to economic policymaking, laws governing the labour market, and the way the working class is viewed in the political economy.

The Islamic Regime has placed limitations of economic policymaking by not increasing the pay salary to match the rate of inflation. This causes the workers of Iran to lose buying power year after year which inevitably results in more inequality and more disparity among low and middle class earners.

The Islamic Regime has placed limitations on the labour market in concerns to the working class. While there are stipulations in Iranian law that states, “The employer cannot fire an employee except in some specific cases.” This stipulation is actually harmful to the work force in Iran because many employers are outsourcing their work to machinery due to the cost of having to hire and fire employees on a large scale. When such companies do use the labour force they offer 90-day contracts. With these contracts there is no job security, insurance, level of job difficulty, or any such welfare services. This leaves the worker in a state of helplessness because they have no negotiating power and cannot officially lodge a complaint to legal authorities or challenge the employer for fear of losing his/her job.

The Islamic Regime has placed limitations on the working class by preventing the working people to create unions or labour syndicates. Unions or syndicate must be approved by the House of Labour or have the Islamic Council included in the union by representation. Many workers who are suspected of taking part of being in a union face imprisonment, dismissal and must make an appearance before a regulatory committees when any sign of a labour movement is seen.

The Islamic Regime prevents unity among workers by creating dissent among all labour organizations. They enforce legal limitations, invoking fear and apprehension among the workers through arrests and firing labour activists. Such previous examples of labour activists who were arrested are Shakrukh Zemani, Mansour Osanloo to name a few. Along with the arrest of Human Rights lawyers as well as founders of Defenders of Human Rights Center in Iran, Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, Mohammad Seifzadeh, and Abdolfattah Soltani.

Mr. Jafar Azim-Zadeh has no ill will or negative feelings towards the Iranian government. His only concern is trying to help his fellow Iranian citizens. As a representative for the Canadian Human Rights International Organization we are dedicated to fighting and upholding fundamental rights that all humans are entitled to. I respectfully urge you for the release of Mr. Jafar Azim-Zadeh, along with the release of the founders of Defenders of Human Rights Center, Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, Mohammad Seifzadeh, and Abdolfattah Soltani.

Victoria Singh

International Researcher & Advocate and Public Relations Officer

Canadian Human Rights International Organization – CHRIO