Irán, República Islámica del - Osanloo and Madadi still in prison (2010)

Mansour Osanloo, the president of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company (Sherkat-e Vahed) trade union, and Ebrahim Madadi, the vice-president of the same union, are still in jail, serving prison sentences of five and three and a half years respectively for their defence of workers’ rights. Osanloo has been incarcerated since July 2007 and is currently placed in the Reja’I Shahr prison, west of Tehran, among prisoners who have been convicted of crimes such as murder. His health is continuously deteriorating due to pre-existing medical problems as well as new ones gained through the way he was treated in prison. Despite the prison doctor’s referral, Osanloo was denied a temporary leave to get necessary medical help. Osanloo also ultimately lost his job when the Tehran Revolutionary Court confirmed his dismissal on 21 October. Madadi has been in jail since December 2008. Both men have been maltreated while in custody and both are recognised as prisoners of conscience by Amnesty International.