April 7, 2014
After a month of hunger strike by the worker activist, Shahrokh Zamani, and the silence of the Human Rights organizations, we, a number of political activists, journalists, writers, and members of the workers unions take it as our responsibility to create mass public awareness about Shahrokh Zamani’s hunger strike that seriously is threatening his life - and draws the international Human Rights organizations and workers activists’ attention to this matter before it becomes too late. Whilst we express our support for Shahrokh Zamani’s legitimate demands, including his immediate return to Rajai Shahr Prison for now, we insist on the urgent necessity of ending his hunger strike and demand his immediate and unconditional release from jail.
Shahrokh Zamani, a 49-year-old worker and painter, a member of The Provisional Board for Reopening of House-Painter Workers’ Union and the Follow-up Committee to Set up Free Labour Organizations, was arrested in Tabriz on June 8th 2011 and transferred to Tabriz Intelligence Prison. On August 18th of the same year he was sentenced to a 10 year imprisonment, with the charge of founding opposition groups, and another 1 year for the charge of propaganda against the regime.
Zamani, in the past two years of serving his imprisonment, has been sent to 4 different prisons: first he was exiled to Yazd prison, returned back to Tabriz again, then he was transferred to Rajai Shahr Prison in Karaj, and since March 11th 2014, he has been exiled to Ghezelhesar Prison in Karaj, housing only inmates charged with drug-related crimes. He has been deprived of his fundamental rights and has suffered the harshest and inhumane conditions. Since his transfer to Ghezelhesar Prison, on March 11th 2014, he has been on a hunger strike and now, past a month, he is suffering from critical health conditions. No prison authorities or authorities of the Islamic regime of Iran have paid any attention to his legitimate demands, yet.
Needless to say that the only option left before us to save Shahrokh Zamani’s life, is to call upon you, the labour activists and the human rights defenders to stand with us , be his voice, and forward his message all over the world.
We, the undersigned, support Shahrokh Zamani’s demands and call for immediate and unconditional release of Shahrokh Zamani and all other Labour activists from the bloody prisons of the Islamic regime of Iran.
(Names of signatories will be posted soon and updated)