The
Ambassador of the
Islamic Republic of Iran
Helsinki, Finland
We
appeal for immediate
healthcare for Mahmoud
Salehi and demand that
he must be released from
prison. Mahmoud Salehi,
the spokesperson for the
Organisational Committee
to Establish Trade
Unions has long-term
medical concerns. He was
reportedly transferred
briefly to hospital,
unconscious, on 11
December, after
repeatedly collapsing in
prison between 4-10
December.
He
has long suffered
persecution by the
Iranian authorities,
spending several periods
in prison because of
their legitimate and
peaceful activities as
trade union activists
and human rights
defenders.
He
was arrested after a
peaceful demonstration
to celebrate May Day
2004. In November 2005
he was sentenced to five
years’ imprisonment and
three years' internal
exile in the city of
Ghorveh, Kordestan. At
his trial, the
prosecutor reportedly
cited his trade union
activities as evidence
against him, and
referred to a meeting he
had held with officials
from the International
Confederation of Free
Trade Unions (ICFTU) -
now reconstituted as the
International Trade
Union Confederation (ITUC).
His conviction was
overturned on appeal,
but after a retrial he
was sentenced on 11
November 2006 to four
years’ imprisonment for
"conspiring to commit
crimes against national
security". He was free
until the appeal hearing
on 11 March, when his
sentence was reduced to
a three-year suspended
prison sentence and one
year’s imprisonment,
which commenced with his
imprisonment on 9 April
2007. The Amnesty
International considers
him a prisoner of
conscience and is
concerned for his
health.
Mahmoud Salehi has
long-term medical
concerns. A request by
his doctor in May 2007
for specialist treatment
outside the prison has
been ignored. He suffers
from chronic kidney
disease, for which he
requires dialysis. He is
also said to suffer from
a heart disorder. This
month (December 2007) it
was reported that Salehi
has grave intestinal
edema or swelling that
may be connected with
his renal disease.
The
Communist party of
Finland demands that
Mahmoud Salehi and other
trade union activist
must be released from
prison and that the
workers right to
organize must be secured
according to the
international labour
conventions.
Helsinki 31.12.2007
The
Communist Party of
Finland
Yrjö
Hakanen
chairman