Canadian Teachers’ Federation: We strongly condemn the execution of the Kurdish teacher trade unio

Written by Saeed Valadbaygi ,     May 22, 2010
Photo:May 21, 2010 – Rally in front of the Iranian Embassy in Ottawa (Canada) . Mary-Lou Donnelly, CTF President.

Canadian Teachers’ Federation
Fédération canadienne des enseignantes et des enseignants

May 12, 2010
His Excellency Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
President of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Palestine Avenue, Azerbaijan Intersection
Tehran 13168-43311
Islamic Republic of Iran
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Re: Execution of Iranian teacher trade unionist Farzad Kamangar
Excellency:
I am writing to you on behalf of the Canadian Teachers’ Federation who represents nearly 200,000 elementary and secondary school  teachers across Canada to strongly condemn the execution of the Kurdish teacher trade unionist Farzad Kamangar on May 9, 2010.
Despite the evident lack of independent inquiry into the allegations, the absence of a fair judicial process, the fact that Mr. Kamangar’s  appeal was still to be reviewed by the Supreme Court, though Mr. Kamangar’s lawyer had been told that the file had been lost, Mr.  Kamangar has still been executed. I denounce this inhumane treatment of Farzad Kamangar, and the fact that neither his family, nor  his lawyer, were informed about the execution.

This brutal execution raises anxiety about the fate of other detained teacher unionists,such as Rasoul Bodaghi, Hashem Khastar, Bahman Goudarzzade and Abdolresa Ghanbari. This execution will also intensify the already pervasive climate of fear and persecution surrounding trade union activities in Iran.
The Canadian Teachers’ Federation urges the Iranian authorities to: • Investigate the legal framework of the execution of Farzad  Kamangar and clarify why his file was not reviewed by the Supreme Court in accordance with national law;

• Ensure, in law and practice, all guarantees of due process of law established in the International Covenant on Civil and Political  Rights, including the principle of presumption of innocence and elimination of torture and ill-treatment in prison;
• Respect the full exercise of the right to freedom of expression and rights to association and assembly, as recommended by the Committee on Freedom of Association of the International Labour Organisation;
• Announce a moratorium on executions.

President of the Islamic Republic of Iran
May 12, 2010

I look forward to hearing about your positive intervention on this very serious matter.
Yours sincerely,
CTF President

Cc : Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran
( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ottawa ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) Education International ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. )

Reference:
http://www.astreetjournalist.com/2010/05/22/canadian-teachers%E2%80%99-federation-
we-strongly-condemn-the-execution-of-the-kurdish-teacher-trade-unionist-farzad-kamangar/