The following is a statement by the Trade Union of the Tehran and Suburbs Vahed Bus Company translated by the Shahrokh Zamani Action Campaign.
Today, September 13th, in a peaceful protest the drivers of the Vahed Company demanded the release of Reza Shahabi, a member of the Vahed Trade Union.
As requested by the Vahed Company workers’ trade union, early this morning, September 13th, the drivers on the BRT routes began a protest against the imprisonment of Reza Shahabi, a member of the Executive Committee of the Vahed Trade Union, who is on the 36th day of his hunger strike, by switching on the headlights of their buses and reducing the speed of the buses to 20 kilometres per hour.
Of course, since the day before, security agents and the company’s security officers were ready and on the previous day, a driver who was distributing a statement of protest among the drivers, was arrested by Vahed security patrols and handed over to the police agents of the Eighth Base security police. And today, after a security case was built against him, he was released on bail by Evin Court. Today management and security agents also had an imposing and organised presence on the BRT routes and ejected a number of protesting drivers, and did not allow some of the more active members of the trade union to drive on the routes. Of course, these measures did not snuff out the protesters’ fire and many more drivers joined the protest in the evening.
On September 5th, drivers of the Vahed Company, together with students and other labour activists and teachers marched and protested outside the Baharestan Majles building in support of Reza Shahabi. The Trade Union of the Vahed Bus Company demands the unconditional release of this member of the union.
Trade Union of the Vahed Bus Company Workers
13 September 2017
See also:
Shahrokh Zamani Action Campaign 