“Case Building” Against a Labor Activist; Jafar Azimzadeh’s 13-Month Prison Sentence Upheld in Appeals Court

The 13-month prison sentence of Jafar Azimzadeh, secretary of the board of directors of the Free Union of Iranian Workers and imprisoned labor activist currently serving his sentence in Evin Prison, was upheld in appeals court. The Free Union of Iranian Workers had previously called the new allegations brought by the judicial and security apparatus against him “case building.”

An informed source told Voice of America on Monday, Mordad 13, that the prison sentence for this imprisoned labor activist, which was issued in late Khordad by Branch 26 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court on the charge of “propaganda against the Islamic Republic system through media activity inside prison,” was upheld identically by Judge Zargar, head of Branch 36 of Tehran Province’s Court of Appeals. The sentence was notified to Azimzadeh in Evin Prison approximately one month later, on Saturday, Mordad 11.

Previously, Akram Rahimpour, Azimzadeh’s wife, had stated on Instagram that the reason for issuing this sentence was the written and verbal protests by this labor activist against the cutting of health insurance for political and non-political prisoners in 1398 and protests against the issuance of harsh sentences against Haft Tappeh workers and workers who participated in International Workers’ Day ceremonies in front of Parliament.

Beyond Azimzadeh’s sentence, the Second Investigation Branch of the General and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office of Region 33 Tehran has also opened a case against Akram Rahimpour, this labor activist’s wife, on the pretext of several interviews she gave about her husband’s situation, and has accused her of “propaganda against the system.”

On Sunday, Mordad 12, the Free Union of Iranian Workers, while expressing abhorrence at the issuance of a renewed prison sentence against Jafar Azimzadeh, republished a collective letter from political prisoners, to which this imprisoned labor activist was also a signatory, and also released his audio file protesting the issuance of prison sentences against workers. In its website, this union wrote that the purpose of republishing the aforementioned letter and audio file is so that “the scope of the regime’s systematic oppressive conduct against workers becomes increasingly apparent to the public eye.”

Jafar Azimzadeh, who was released from prison in Tir 1395 following a hunger strike with promises from judicial officials for a retrial and the granting of renewable temporary leave, was arrested on Bahman 9, 1397 by security forces in the Pardis area of Karaj and was transferred to Section 9 of Ward 8 of Evin Prison to serve his previously-issued 6-year prison sentence that had been handed down by Tehran’s Revolutionary Court on the charges of “assembly and conspiracy with intent to act against national security,” “disruption of public order,” and “propaganda activity against the system.” He is currently serving his sentence in this prison.

It is worth noting that a previously informed source had confirmed in a conversation with Voice of America that this imprisoned labor activist was assaulted on Mordad 5 by a prisoner accused of drug trafficking who had no history of altercation with him, and that same afternoon, while this labor activist was exercising in the prison yard, he was attacked by another prisoner with severe drug addiction.