۱۳۸۶ اسفند ۹, پنجشنبه

Press release

Press release

Mayor of Ixelles refuses demonstration of Iranian women on the 8th of March!

On the 8th of March Iranian women, refugees from all over Europe, demonstrate to let hear their anger at the reactionary regime in Iran. In this country women have got no rights. They can’t leave the house without their husband’s permission. Being seen with a man who isn’t your husband of for instance not wearing your headscarf, are enough reason to be punished by being whipped several times. Not equality before the law but legal inequality is the rule.

The Iranian women’s coalition who wants to demonstrate in Brussels this year, together with other organisations of Belgian, but also of Turkish en Kurdish women, has been demonstrating for years on the 8th of March. It is the first time that they are confronted with a refusal in a European city. Ixelles will go into history as the only city in the “democratic west” where women are forbidden to demonstrate on the International Women’s’ Day! The Mayor of Ixelles, W. Decourty (PS), is thus apparently agreeing with the Iranian regime that opposition of women is unacceptable and that women have to be muzzled. In any case he’s acting as an ally of the reactionary regime in Iran.

Decourty gives “problems of traffic” as a reason to prohibit the demonstration on his territory. Problems of traffic! All demonstrations gives more or less problems for traffic – what remains of our constitutional right to express our opinion (non-existing in Iran) if a mayor can refuse a demonstration for such a reason? It also makes us worried about the support women in Ixelles would get from their city council if they want to fight oppression…

Thielemans, mayor of Brussels-City, gave us permission, but for the last part of the demonstration – the way to the Iranian embassy – our right is refused by his party member in Ixelles. This decision will not only be looked at in Belgium. In Iran the higher circles will react with joy: even a democratic country as Belgium refuses the Iranian women to express their protest!

The demonstration on the 8th of March is announced at 2 pm, starting point being the American embassy, where women will speak out against the occupations in Afghanistan and Iraq, occupations which didn’t bring any improvement to women, even on the contrary. Through the European quarter, where we want to protest against the asocial policies of the EU, we want to go on to the Iranian embassy, end point of the demonstration.

But the mayor of Ixelles refuses this! Even the unlikely and already totally unacceptable proposal of the police services to do part of the demonstration by metro (!) is refused to us by W. Decourty. A protest action will take place on Thursday 28 February at 5 pm before the town hall of Ixelles, with at the same time a press conference in L’amour Fou (Place Fernand Coq).

We are determined to express our opinion, even if it means that we have to use the side walk to get to the Iranian embassy. We invite the press to come to our demonstration, which will be unique by the partly subterranean part of the route that is imposed on us. Help us make known this scandalous situation to a wider public!

Azar Behrouz, plateforme de femmes iraniennes Karzar (0486 48 43 65)
Anja Deschoemacker, commission femmes du Mouvement pour une Alternative Socialiste, MAS-LSP (0473 92 28 33)
Laure Miege, travail femmes des Etudiants de Gauche Actifs (0497 92 12 63)
Nadine Mertens, membre du Comité exécutif du Setca Bruxelles-Hal-Vilvorde
Ivy Meert, femmes du Comité pour une Autre politique (CAP)
To: Mr. Decourty, mayor of Ixelles
Email: w.decourty@brutele.be
Copy to: info@8maart.be


No to the refusal of the right to demonstrate! Iranian women should have the right to hold a demonstration on the road to the Iranian embassy!


To m. Decourty,

With indignation we’ve heard that you, as PS-mayor of Ixelles, have refused Iranian women to demonstrate to the Iranian embassy. And that on International Women’s Day – a day which has been put on the agenda by the predecessors of your party! It’s your predecessors, then clearly more socialist than you are now, who’ve given life to this international day of protest for women’s rights!

But Iranian women, who haven’t got the right to demonstrate in their country of origin, nor the right to leave the house without permission of their father or husband for that matter, are being refused the right to make their voices be heard by you!

I’m asking you to change this decision and to not give the Iranian regime the excuse that women’s rights are refused even in a European country, for it is the reactionary regime in Iran that will be overflowing with joy over your unconstitutional and totally undemocratic decision. In stead of showing the women’s movement in Iran that there is a support in the international community for their struggle, you are giving the completely opposite signal.

I sign with diminished hope on reason and democratic sense from your part,

۱۳۸۶ اسفند ۸, چهارشنبه

Act NOW!Iran: Release jailed workers, respect rights



Act NOW!
Iran: Release jailed workers, respect rights
The ITUC and the ITF are organising a global action day on 6 March 2008 to express our solidarity with Iranian workers once again. We want Mansour Osanloo and Mahmoud Salehi released immediately and unconditionally from prison. Their health conditions are deteriorating. We also demand that fundamental workers' rights be respected in Iran, in accordance with the ILO core conventions. The imprisonment of Osanloo and Salehi are not isolated cases in Iran. Nine education workers were sentenced to 91 days in prison recently. The Iranian authorities claim they are "threats to the national security" although in reality, it is genuine trade union activities they want to crush.Oppression of the independent workers' movement in Iran is escalating. That is why the global unions, together with human rights activists, wish to send a strong message to the Iranian government. 6 March falls two weeks prior to the Iranian New Year and the parliamentary elections.Send your message! Spread the word and take part in the 6 March Action Day!
You can help! Type in your name and email address, then click on 'Send Message' on the bottom of this page.
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Type in your message here - or just use the existing message. His Excellency Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei - Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Your Excellency
I am deeply concerned over the continued violation of trade union rights in Iran, which includes the detention of Mansour Osanloo and Mahmoud Salehi.
I dismiss the allegation of your judiciary that these men have acted against the national security of your country. It appears to be an excuse to oppress an independent trade union movement in Iran.
The International Labour Organization (ILO), of which Iran is a member, is requesting your government to guarantee freedom of association without any delay. I would also remind you that as a State party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Iran has agreed in law that: "Everyone shall have the right to freedom of association with others, including the right to form and join trade unions for the protection of his interests."
I request that Mansour Osanloo, Mahmoud Salehi as well as all other trade unionists are released immediately and unconditionally. I understand that both Osanloo and Salehi have health problems which require proper medical treatment outside of prison. I would further call upon you to ensure that Iran respects the workers and union rights which it has pledged to uphold.
The longer the Iranian government delays this process, the stronger the global protest will become. A swift action by the government will be much appreciated.
Yours sincerely If you would like to receive future urgent action alerts from us, please check this box: Your message will be sent to the following email addresses: info@leader.ir, solidarity@freeosanloo.org

Unions join forces in action day for imprisoned Iranian trade unionist

Unions join forces in action day for imprisoned Iranian trade unionist
27 February 2008
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Hundreds of thousands of trade unionists across the world will unite in a day of action next week to call for the release of Iranian bus workers’ union leader Mansour Osanloo.
Events on 6 March will take place worldwide, including London, UK, where trade unionists and human rights activists will participate in a demonstration outside the Iranian embassy. The ITF campaign day, supported by the UK trade union movement as well as Amnesty International, will also see a red double decker bus visit London protest sites during the day.
Solidarity actions, including demonstrations, will also be held at Iranian embassies, in cities, railway stations and at border crossings in Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Ethiopia, Cote d’Ivoire, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mali, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Spain, South Africa, Switzerland, Thailand and Turkey. Other countries are planning activities.
The “free Osanloo day” is receiving particular backing from railway workers and their unions who have voted to dedicate a planned rail action day – which traditionally promotes rail safety – to campaigning on Osanloo’s behalf.
David Cockroft, ITF General Secretary, commented: “The Iranian government’s continuing mistreatment of Mansour is a running sore. He has asked only for his basic rights and has been answered with fists, truncheons and manacles – but he has not been forgotten. On 6 March we will once again prove that he has friends and supporters around the world.”
Mansour Osanloo is President of the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, which has been targeted by the Iranian authorities. He is being held in Tehran’s Evin prison on trumped up charges. The ITF and International Trade Union Confederation have spearheaded the campaign to defend him and he has been declared a prisoner of conscience by Anmesty

۱۳۸۶ اسفند ۵, یکشنبه

Join the Demonstrations against the Imperialists' war

A Call on Members and Supporters of the Party of Labour of Iran (Toufan)



Join the Demonstrations against the Imperialists' war

The fifth anniversary of the military invasion and occupation of Iraq is ahead of us. The week of March 15-22 is the week of world protests against the invasion of Iraq by the US imperialists and their allies. In that week, hundreds of thousand of progressive and peace-loving people, the communists at the forefront, will demonstrate and express their disgust and rage against the US imperialists represented by George Bush administration. Solidarity and support for the just and anti-colonial struggle of the people of Iraq is growing and expanding.
Our Party resolutely support the heroic resistance of the people of Iraq and calls on its members and supporters to mobilise wherever they are, in cooperation with progressive and anti-war forces, for March 15-22 demonstrations. Our comrades will do their utmost to strengthen the solidarity movement with the people of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Palestine who are under direct occupation of imperialists and Zionists.
The communists and revolutionary forces of the world defend the Iraqi resistance movement and demand the unconditional withdrawal of troops of the US imperialists and their allies from Iraq. The unconditional withdrawal of all occupying forces from Afghanistan, the condemnation of the Zionist regime of Israel, the solidarity with the Palestinian people, and the condemnation of any military aggression or economic sanction against Iran are the principal demands of the movement against the imperialists' war. Let us expose and slap the faces of imperialists and their lackeys by our participation in and strengthening of the anti-war movement. Let us prepare ourselves for the world demonstration against the war.

Unconditional Withdrawal of all Occupying Forces from Iraq!
Pay War Reparation to the People of Iraq!
Shame on Terrorist-Zionist Regime of Israel!
Long Live Palestinian People!
No to Military Aggression against Iran!
No to Economic Sanction on Iran!
Imperialists Hands off Iran and the Middle East!

The Party of Labour of Iran (Toufan)
February 2008

WWW .Toufan.org
Toufan@Toufan.org

۱۳۸۶ اسفند ۴, شنبه

Statement of the World Peace Council about the Serbian province of Kossovo

Statement of the World Peace Council about the Serbian province of Kossovo
The World Peace Council is denouncing the new escalation in the
developments on the "imperialist chessboard" of the Balkans, with the
separatist and unilateral declaration of "independence" of the Kossovo.
Since the very bombing of NATO in 1999,where during the 78 days of the
brutal aggression against the peoples of Yugoslavia, thousands of innocent
civilians lost their lives, the goal of the imperialist forces and their war
machinery in the region were clear. To divide in parts and controll the whole
area, neglecting and violating any international law or peoples' rights. A result
of imposition of force was the UN Security Council Resolution 1244, upon
which the UN amongst others mandated NATO to guarantee and monitor
peace in Kossovo through the KFOR. But even this very "Resolution 1244",
by which the NATO become ruler in a "de facto" protectorate, underlines
strictly that Kossovo remains province of Yugoslavia, of which Serbia is the
legal succesor today.
Today,and while NATO is ready to hand over its rule to the European Union,
we are witnessing a new act of flagrant violation of the sovereignty of an
independent state, of the International law and the relevant UN resolutions.
Kossovo, whether as "NATO land" or "EU land", is one more prove for the
cynical and inhuman policies of the USA, the EU and NATO on the Balkans.
The WPC is expressing its solidarity with the peoples of ex-Yugoslavia and
calling upon the peace loving forces in the area to unite and coordinate
common actions against the imperialist plans.
The WPC is supporting and endorsing in this context fully the Meeting of
Peace Movements of the Balkans and broader area organized by EEDYE, to
be held in the Greek city of Thessaloniki on March 1-2, 2008.
The Secretariat WPC