Imprisoned for Defending the Rights of Workers
As head of the Union of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, Mansour Ossanlu has struggled to build a strong and independent trade union movement in Iran capable of defending the human rights of workers against discriminatory laws and practices.
His most recent arrest came in July 2007, and he is now serving a five-year prison sentence for "acts against national security" and "propaganda against the system." The charges were apparently based on his contacts with international organizations such as the International Transport Workers Federation.
In August 2010, Mansour Ossanlu was sentenced to a further one year in prison after conviction of a new charge of "spreading propaganda against the system." The new sentence, about which he was told in prison, will become effective after he fully serves his previous five-year sentence.While in prison, Mansour Ossanlu's family has reportedly been targeted for attack. According to an interview given by Mansour Ossanlu's wife to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran (ICHRI), Mansour Ossanlu's daughter-in-law was abducted and beaten by security forces in June 2010. She was asked to sign a document promising that once Ossanlu was released, his family would leave the country or not engage in any activities. The daughter-in-law refused to sign.
Mansour Ossanlu's health has deteriorated in prison, and he is in very poor condition. He is held in Raja'i Shahr prison in Karaj, which houses violent criminals who have intimidated and abused him.
On February 11, 2011, Mansour Osanlu had a heart attack in Raja'i Shahr Prison and was transferred to a hospital, where he was reportedly shackled to his bed by metal cuffs on his hands and feet. On February 16, he was transferred back to Raja'i Shahr Prison. His wife was allowed to visit him only from a distance of several meters away. Mansour Osanlu reportedly remains in poor health at Raja'i Shahr Prison.
The rights to freedom of expression and association have been increasingly curtailed in Iran. Human rights defenders face deepening restrictions on their work and remain at risk of reprisals from the authorities. Students, religious minorities and members of ethnic minorities remain subject to harassment or discriminatory laws and practices. Independent trade unionists have had their activities severely curtailed and have been dismissed from their jobs.
Arbitrary arrests are frequently carried out by the state authorities, and torture remains common in many prisons and detention centers, particularly in the investigative stage of pre-trial detention when detainees are denied access to lawyers for indefinite and sometimes lengthy periods. Ill-treatment, including denial of medical attention, has also been reported, and there have been suspicious deaths in custody.
Victims of human rights violations and their families continue to lack effective means of redress, and relatives of detainees or those sought by the authorities are subject to harassment. Security forces often break up demonstrations harshly.
