The Persecution of Teacher Activists in Iran: A Report on Sacking and Disciplinary Actions, Including the Forced Exile of Esmail Abdi

A recent report by prominent labour union the Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations (CCITTA) has drawn attention to the continuing disturbing, indeed escalating, trend of teachers and education workers being targeted for persecution by the authorities in Iran […]

Fire at Rajaee Quay; Completely Charred Bodies Retrieved

CODIR: Thousands of port workers were victims of a catastrophe waiting to happen… Last week, CODIR published a detailed account of the catastrophe that hit Rajaee Quay, the Iran’s principal national seaport for international trade in the vicinity of Bandar […]

Labour activists have been arrested! Prison is Not a Place for Labour Activists!

CODIR has received verified reports and information from inside Iran that May Day and events to mark International Workers’ Day have yet again served as the precursor to the arrest of scores of labour activists and a wider clampdown by […]

CODIR demands justice for Iranian workers following the deadly blast at Bandar Abbas!

On this International Workers’ Memorial Day, Iran is reeling in the immediate aftermath of the latest in an all too long line of disasters to have befallen its long-beleaguered working people. Over the weekend just passed, international news outlets have […]

CODIR welcomes initial signals from US/Iran talks

23rd April 2025 Press release The Committee for the Defence of Iranian People’s Rights (CODIR) has welcomed the progress made so far in talks between the United States and Iran as a step towards limiting the possibility of a military […]

 

IndustriALL Global Union calls on Government of Iran to immediately release imprisoned union leaders and respect fundamental labour rights

Mr. Hassan Rouhani President Islamic Republic of Iran Email:  [email protected][email protected] Dear Mr. President Hassan Rouhani,   I am writing this letter to you as the General Secretary of IndustriALL Global Union, which represents more than fifty million workers in mining, energy […]

Whose interests are threatened by Trade Union campaigns

Iran has witnessed the imposition of a wave of unprecedented restrictions on the legitimate trade union activities of workers syndicates since the beginning of this year. On 28 April, MaziarGilani-Nejad, a member of the Union of Metalworkers and Mechanics of Iran (UMMI), was summoned to appear beforethe […]

Iran: release imprisoned trade unionists Reza Shahabi and Esmail Abdi

05.09.2017 IndustriALL Global Union has written to the President of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, demanding an end to the repression of trade unionists, and calling for the release of Reza Shahabi and Esmail Abdi. The Union of Metalworkers and Mechanics of […]

The September issue of Iran Today is out now!

Table of contents: NEU declares solidarity with Iranian teachers                                                               […]

Act NOW! Free Reza Shahabi and Esmail Abdi

In Iran, trade unionists are subjected to continued persecution by the authorities. Their trade union rights and civil liberties are denied and trade union leaders are detained for reasons connected with their activities in defence of the interests of workers. […]

RELEASE ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS NOW! CODIR Calls for the Immediate Release of Reza Shahabi!

Reza Shahabi, a well respected member of the Union of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company (SWTSBC) executive committee, has been re-arrested by the security forces in Iran.  Reza Shahabi was originally arrested in June 2010 and sentenced to […]

Iran: Mass hunger strike by political prisoners in protest at inhumane conditions

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE 22 August 2017 More than a dozen political prisoners, including prisoners of conscience, have gone on hunger strike in protest at the cruel, inhuman and degrading conditions they have been forced to endure at a maximum-security […]

RELEASE ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS NOW! CODIR Calls for the Immediate Release of Reza Shahabi!

The Union of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company (Vahed Company Syndicate) – SWTSBC – has released statements dated 8th, 9th and 12th August reporting the continued harrassment of Reza Shahabi, a well respected member of their union’s executive […]

‘We hate the headscarf’: can women find freedom in Tehran’s female-only parks?

Parks exclusively for women are popping up in Iranian cities, but critics are divided over whether this is just another ploy to keep them hidden in public “I love to take off my headscarf,” says Laleh, 47, a hairdresser from […]

A dialogue about Islamophobia

The representative of CODIR-Canada was invited to attend a “dialogue” on June 15, 2017 for a consultation to identify the causes and effects of anti-Muslim bias and Islamophobia, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This event was organized by the Committee of […]