Labor activists Reza Shahabi and Reyhaneh Ansari arrested
Labor activists Reza Shahabi and Reyhaneh Ansari were arrested. The arrests of these labor activists follow a recent wave of arrests of union activists. Reza Shahabi had previously reported receiving threatening messages.
According to the announcement of the workers' union of the Tehran Bus Company, on the morning of May 12, Reza Shahabi, a member of the board of directors of the workers' union of the company, was arrested by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence.
At the same time as Reza Shahabi's arrest, the Coordination Committee for Helping to Create Labor Organizations also announced the arrest of Reyhaneh Ansari, a labor activist in Iran.
The workers' union of the Vahed Company wrote about the details of Reza Shahabi's arrest: "Five agents from the Ministry of Intelligence went to Reza Shahabi's house and forced the building guard to knock on the apartment door. As soon as the door was opened, the agents forcibly entered Reza Shahabi's house, even though his wife and daughter were not properly dressed."
Reza Shahabi, a former political prisoner and dismissed worker at the Vahed Company, had previously reported on Instagram about text messages and WhatsApp messages from an unknown individual threatening to kill himself, his wife, and his two children, and an attack on his niece by two motorcyclists, and had asked for help from the responsible agencies to ensure the security of those around him.
After being sentenced to six years and released from prison, Shahabi ran a food production workshop with his wife to make a living.
The Workers' Union of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company condemned the arrest of Reza Shahabi and expressed deep concern about the situation of this union member, stating: "The responsibility for any threat to the life of Reza Shahabi lies with the judiciary."
The Vahed Company workers' union has called for the unconditional release of Reza Shahabi.
On the other hand, the Coordination Committee for Helping to Establish Labor Organizations also announced that labor activist Reyhaneh Ansari was arrested on the morning of Thursday, May 12.
The Coordination Committee for Helping to Establish Labor Organizations has also condemned the arrest of Reyhaneh Ansari and called for her immediate and unconditional release.
The arrest of these labor activists follows the widespread arrests of union activists that have taken place in recent days.
Source: DW
