Iran: Vahed Syndicate - Any Suppression or threat of civil liberty condemned

international | worker & community struggles and protests | news report

Friday June 19, 2009 13:40

by pat c

This is a statement from the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Vahed Bus Company. This union has a long history of struggle for econnomic and civil rights. Here they make clear that there must be a struggle for the rights of all Iranians who have been oppressed. This article is supposed to be available on http://www.justiceforiranianworkers.org/ but that site is down at present. So I am posting it in full here.

In line with the recognition of the labour rights, we request that June 26 Action Day - Justice for Iranian workers - to include the human rights of all Iranians who have been deprived of their rights.

In recent days, we continue witnessing the magnificent demonstration of millions of people from all ages, genders, and national and religious minorities in Iran. They request that their basic human rights, particularly the right to freedom and to choose independently and without deception be recognized. These rights are not only constitutional in most of the countries, but also have been protected against all odds.

Amid such turmoil, one witnesses threats, arrests, murders and brutal suppression that one fears only to escalate on all its aspects, resulting in more innocent bloodshed, more protests, and certainly no retreats. The Iranian society is facing a deep political-economical crisis. Million-strong silent protests, ironically loud with un-spoken words, have turned into iconic stature and are expanding from all sides. These protests demand reaction from each and every responsible individual and institution.

As previously expressed in a statement published on-line in May of this year, since Syndicate Vahed does not view any of the candidates support the activities of the workers’ organizations in Iran, it would not endorse any presidential candidate in the election. Vahed members nevertheless have the right to participate or not to participate in the elections and vote for their individually selected candidate.

Moreover, the fact remains that demands of almost an absolute majority of the Iranians go far beyond the demands of a particular group. In the past, we have emphasized that until the freedom of choice and right to organize are not recognized, talk of any social or particular right would be more of a mockery than a reality.

The Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Vahed Bus Company fully supports this movement of Iranian people to build a free and independent civil society and condemns any violence and oppression.

In line with the recognition of the labour rights, the Syndicate requests that June 26 which has been called by the International Trade Unions Organization ‘Day of action’ for justice for Iranian workers to include the human rights of all Iranians who have been deprived of their rights.

With hope for freedom and equality

The Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Vahed Bus Company

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statement from the Iran Khodor workers:

Sun Jun 21, 2009 17:37

Here is a statement from the Iran Khodor workers:

We declare our solidarity with the movement of the people of Iran.

Autoworker, Fellow Laborers (Laborer Friends): What we witness today, is an insult to the intelligence of the people, and disregard for their votes, the trampling of the principles of the Constitution by the government. It is our duty to join this people's movement.

We the workers of Iran Khodro, Thursday 28/3/88 in each working shift will stop working for half an hour to protest the suppression of students, workers, women, and the Constitution and declare our solidarity with the movement of the people of Iran. The morning and afternoon shifts from 10 to 10:30. The night shift from 3 to 3:30.

Laborers of Iran Khodro

Tehran 1.30am Sunday - some dead - many injured - fires - "civil unrest" -"narrative falacies"

by gurgle tweet - ( iosaf mac diarmada )

Sat Jun 20, 2009 22:40

* People are now chanting more from the rooftops on this 8th night. The usual "God is Great" the "Hail Hossein" which we've explored is a reference to martyrdom, and now "Death to the Basji".

* Both sides have lamented violence........ get that? ....... both sides lament violence
perhaps it's out of their handies now.

* The bombing of the Ayatolah's tomb which I first reported much earlier today our time was told at first with a death count of two, it appeared on Iranian state news and then disappeared, it then returned described as a suicide bombing. This is the second time my attention has been brought to stories appearing than disappearing then returning with altered details on Iranian official or semi-official media networks. The first being the vote counts a still shot of which I supplied here : http://www.indymedia.ie/article/92697?comment_limit=0&c...47961 I have now found a story about a foiled bombing attempt on the day of the elections. It was attributed by the semi-official FARS news agency to Israeli agents.

* Numerous sources have described yesterday's confrontations in Tehran with crowd dispersal techniques such as water canon and tear gas working in tandem with the blocking of routes and thus logically the bottling up of protesters.

* I can trace one large movement of protesters surrounded by police from Azadi to Navab a small area. There have certainly been deaths and there have certainly been many injuries.

* The police have been monitoring all injured brought to the hospitals.

* Canadian Embassy is not accepting injured.

* University campuses have been closed in the major cities as the mobile phone networks have collapsed.

* some injuries resulted from plastic bullet use (blinding).

* Offices of the youth union militia Basji (Who shot at the first protesters and perhaps started out interest in all this) are in flames.

* Specifically the office of the Basji at Navab next to the train station. Where also it is reported a 12 year old boy has been killed.

Naturally blame is attributed for the torching of the Basji station to pro-Mousavi elements. For the moment nobody is suggesting it was Mossad or the British. Which almost brings me to touching on an analysis I am preparing of the Ayotalah's speech and its noted lack of criticism of the US and its very subtle mentioning of longterm personel relationships with the presidential candidates.

It is fact that not all the news agency offering translations of the speech or reports based on it have not concurred on the interpretation of one key word by the Ayatolah which is pivotal in understanding how much lattitude he was giving repression either now or in the future. It is also fact that most western news agencies have completely simplified Mousavi's statements as a declaration of being ready for martydom.

This is extremely dangerous considering such narrative falacies working in tandem with paranoia on both sides (post the bombing) are generating feedback and heightening individual and mass senses of cognitive dissonance. It is from such a dangerous situation that hysteria and civil war truly come. Not from rhetoric but how it is misrepresented.

I really am intrigued by what is honestly a very difficult to appraise data flow from any persepective be it that of citizen journalism or reader of professional material, interested in human rights, bemused by theocracies, intrigued by the role Iran plays in the alliance of nations opposed to anglo-saxon capitalism, the subtleties of feminism and civil rights in Islamic faith societies and am really giving this a lot of effort. I now believe this story has gone beyond the election, the counting of votes and even the Friday prayers of the Ayatolah. In some parts his thoughts were shrewd and accurate, I can indeed respect the intellectual abilities of Ratzinger and enjoy him quoting Virgil - to recognise the abilities and sometimes wisdom of your ideological enemies is essential to any proper analysis or critical understanding. Yes - Iran, be it the Iran of any candidate in the presidential elections, or the Iran of the Shah's persepolis past, or the Iran which Kermit Roosevelt of the CIA overthrew with MI6 or any Iran which is being currently articulated on either blogs, tweets or western newspapers :

is surrounded by enemies who will delight if it comes tumbling down.

I reckon the risk of it coming tumbling down is not to be found on twitter, nor is to be found on the planning tables of the CIA, nor is even to be found in the legitimate wishes for a civil rights movement by Iranians within or without their state. The last days are turning up many signals of more serious fractures on minority ethnic and religious basis outside of and far from the Iranian capital.

till later!

Last link to Shocking Video supposedly of young protester's death

Caption: Video Id: pr7d-N0bgVs Type: Youtube Video
Shocking Video supposedly of young protester

22h00 Tehran, British Embassy accepts injured-Bomb verified- Mousavi interpreted as proto-Martyr

by gurggle tweet - (iosaf doing his thing)

Sat Jun 20, 2009 19:21

following on from the last comment which it appears previewed official Irish or English language news reports - here's a quick update on how things are cross - reading & gelling

* It's now accepted that bomb did go off at the Ayatolah Khomeini memorial shrine tomb thing which rather than being a tourist attracting is more like a pilgrimage place but not as out of the way as Knock. Iranian state media is insinuating an Israeli connection, which follows on from their Israeli special all day.

* The British Embassy on 198 Ferdowsi Avenue is allowing injured protesters on to its grounds.

* Mousavi prefaced his calls for a general strike should he be arrested with a phrase which despite its poor spelling I have succeeded in identifying as a Hadith of the Quran.

Blogosphere : "Enna Lellah Va Enna Elayhe Rajhoon" should be rendered as "Inna lillahe wa inna ilayhe rajeoon" This means To Allah we belong and to Him is our return
It is more than a standard kind of "ashes to ashes - dust to dust" lament or epithet of acceptance & is seemingly so well known to Islamic scholars that they don't have to be brought through it, having as it were a copy of the collection "Riyadh as-Saaliheen" (The Gardens of the Righteous) on their Ikea shelves and know it is discussed at length in a most famous book by Imam an-Nawawi. The key vibe for those who don't want to go delve into the tradition of Iran's heady mix of theology & politics & just want updates on revolutionary gurggle freedom crap is - injustice, will of God, martyrdom (Such as that I believe has been built up by the 7 night chanting of "Ya Hossein Mir Hossein " - see last comments for details).

.............."it simply does not befit the character of a believer to wail, or lament, or slap one’s cheeks, or chest, or tear one’s clothes when afflicted by a calamity as a trial from their Lord. One should recognize that their affliction is no more than a trial from their Lord, accept their affliction with patience, and declare: ‘Inna lillahe wa inna ilayhe rajeoon’ (To Allah we belong and to Him is our return). Such is the act of wailing and lamenting when afflicted by a calamity hated in the Sight of Allah Subhanah, that the Messenger of Allah (saws) declared wailing as a tradition of the ‘days of ignorance’, and warned that one who wails at an affliction is ‘none of us’ (not a true believer)!.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riyadh_as-Saaliheen

It is now getting late in Tehran and early in the west, so my gurggle tweeting assisted by new Google translation will peeter off now and not examine the rumours of helicopters spraying people with chemicals or the Mossad setting off bombs. Nor will I even expound on the perfidious Brit's embassy quarters.

And we thought middle eastern democracy was just about inking thumbs but now it turns out it needs martrys too..........,

6.30 pm in Tehran - 2 hours after gig began police use water canon & tear gas. "Bomb goes off"

by gurggle tweet

Sat Jun 20, 2009 15:15

* Under article 27 of the Iranian constitution, Demonstrations and gatherings, without carrying weapons and damaging the principles of Islam, are a guaranteed right. & that pretty much is breaking news

Farsi language BBC pre -compilation page : http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/iran/2009/06/090620_ba-ir8...shtml
English coverage : http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8110582.stm

* following up from the last comments introduction of terrorism subplots in south eastern Iran, there have been conflicting reports of a bomb exploding at the Ayatolah Khomeini memorial tomb in Tehran with 2 injuries. As yet details are quite unconfirmed - but here is the 18h30 news report from Iranian state radio.
http://www.iribnews.ir/Default.aspx?Page=MainContent&ne...93390

Main discussion issue on Iranian state media at the moment is not the protests but Israel.
That would be Light Saturday relief I suppose or else reaching out on this Shabbat day the 28th of the Hebrew month of Sivan to ethnic and religious minorities.

It's 4ish in Tehran - people on the street & west analyses the Ayatolah's speech.

by gurggle tweet - (iosaf)

Sat Jun 20, 2009 13:17

* Two terrorist cells have been reported arrested in the south west of the Iranian state on its border with Pakistan & Afghanistan in the Iranian province of Sistan & Baluchestan, which is a pretty good name for the place as that part of the world really should be known as Baluchestan and have its own statehood and stuff. Which is pretty much what people there want. But of course if they had that according to the current geopolitical wisdom they would probably buy uranium and bomb your local dunnes stores. You don't want that, hence you are not encouraged to consider frontier areas as anything other than the clear cut lines on your map which the British in their infinite care officially ended their imperial aspirations.

* Several deputies for the West Azerbajan province in the north west of the Iranian state have also been reported as being arrested. As their names suggest, the Iranian provinces of West and East Azerbajan consist of a frontier region with the former Soviet and now independent Islamic state of Azerbaijan. You will of course remember that independent Azerbaijan made its Eurovision contest debut this year and made its way to the final with its funky mix of tradition instruments, folkoristic costumes and repetitive electronic beats. Alas, the entry was no match for the Norwegian hit "I fell in love with a fairy tale".

* The speech of Iran's supreme leader has been analysed at length in Western media, particularly in the US and UK. He of course did not refer to the USA or use any of the accepted codewords such as "great Satan" or "mother of all obesity" instead preferring to specifically name Britian as being the most wicked of intefering states (& I'm sure many a reader would find no great quibble with that).

However, the speech has not been reproduced anywhere. So here is the link to the transcript so you can be an analyst at home and advise Mr Cowen on how he should proceed http://blog.beliefnet.com/cityofbrass/2009/06/live-tran....html

___________________________________________

Last night as in the previous 7 nights in answer to supposed gunfire alledgely used to intimidate citizens in Tehran & other towns supporters of Mousavi have been chanting "God is Great" ( Allah_o Akbar ) ]in arabic the language of the Quran. This is then followed by a phrase to identify their partisan loyalty to the former Iranian prime minister and approved if not aggrieved candidate for the elections Mr Mousavi.

Adding " Ya Hossein Mir Hossein "

More or less this means hail Hussein, the 3rd imam or succesor to the prophet Muhumad (PBUH) & indeed his grandson through Fatima. Imam Hossein is considered a martyr by those of the Shia Islamic faith. Chanting or invocation of his name is understood to highlight injustice.

c/f http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imam_Hossein

Meanwhile instead of wondering why the Ayatolah said what he said & I really do suggest it is an idea to read what he said before taking a position http://blog.beliefnet.com/cityofbrass/2009/06/live-tran....html - nor asking why the west apart from the offended British are saying so little - I wonder why other states of the middle east are saying so little. Of course as reported on the other thread, Hugo Chavez's Venezuela has said lots. But you'd expect that. They have lots to say about everything and never ever shut up.

It is being suggested by some that those with Twitter profiles adjust them from their correct locations and timezones (e.g. Dublin) to Tehran. The idea being to obfuscate or cloud the acccepted and rather mere usual 2000 approx Iranian users of either facebook or twitter and make it harder for Iranian authorities to trace twitters.

Oh I just touched it -

There really aren't enough people in Iran who like or use this technology. The "tweeter revolution" is western media spin and marketing.

If anything is being shouted in social networks - it is on the rooftop.

some cultures bang pots, pans & dustbin lids.

2mrw many Iranians will defy their supreme leader - it's moving beyond Mousavi's votes. - updates

by google trans tweet - (iosaf)

Fri Jun 19, 2009 23:03

* That seems to put an ethnic minority twist on today's repression.
* BBC Persia accused of being a front for the Bahai faith which seems to indicate that religious group are coming in for a brunt of repression too.
* this is the live transcript of the Ayatolah's Friday prayers in which he demanded an end to the protests.
http://blog.beliefnet.com/cityofbrass/2009/06/live-tran....html
Tweeter and Iranian blogs in both English and Farsi are realising that means tomorrow's demonstrations will be in defiance of if not opposition to the Iranian theocracy's supreme leader.
* excellent analysis on Western media trope images of female protesters which is being reproduced on the US anti-racism network & circulated in English speaking Iranian circles. It is well worth a read from a gender political as well as Iranian interest perspectives, as well as just being a bit of excellent writing from a woman who generally only blogs about sustainable second hand clothing. Would you believe? How people shine....
"you say you want a revolution a loose headscarf" (& only cute hot Iranian grrrrls get into western newspapers saying that...............Such an image condenses a wealth of historical references, political struggles, and aesthetic judgments, because the hijab does. As Minoo Moallem argues in her book Between Warrior Brother and Veiled Sister: Islamic Fundamentalism and the Politics of Patriarchy in Iran, both pre- and postrevolutionary discourses commemorate specific bodies –whose clothing practices play a large part— to create forms and norms of gendered citizenship, both national and transnational.
http://threadbared.blogspot.com/2009/06/you-say-you-wan....html
http://www.racialicious.com/2009/06/17/you-say-you-want...carf/
* BBC persia has moved its signal for some reason which seems to be causing confusion to boot: New BBC Persian Satellite: Telstar T12, 15° West , 12.608 GHz (horizontally polarised)
*. The Google translation tool for Persian launched early this morning our time (& last night Californian google time) is far from perfect for the obvious reason that Iranians like anyone else abbreviate the language used in their tweets. But it is functional for translation of websites into the principle European languages.
*last link to Catalan independence news platform which has tied into collated Iranian tweeter feeds and is presenting them in near real time
http://blocs.mesvilaweb.cat/node/view/id/136982

Tehran crisis

by cropbeye - none

Fri Jun 19, 2009 21:41

There needs to be a strong broad left response to this right now.

Solidarity that can be effective must be commenced. Every scrap of information available from the ground

must be saved.

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Iran: Vahed Syndicate - Any Suppression or threat of civil liberty condemned

Comments (8 of 8)