Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on the arrest of Mansour Ossanlou

Press release 526/2006
13 December, 2006

The EU strongly condemns the re-arrest of Mansour Ossanlou, the President of the Syndicate of Workers of Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, which appears to be without credible justification. The EU is deeply concerned by reports that Mr Ossanlou was arrested by plain clothes officers who did not present an arrest warrant and that he has not been allowed proper access to legal assistance.

The EU urges Iran to respect fully the rights to freedom of expression and association and the right to form or join trade unions. The EU calls on Iran to uphold its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and to honour its commitments under the 1998 ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.

The Acceding Countries Bulgaria and Romania, the Candidate Countries Turkey, Croatia* and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova align themselves with this declaration.

* Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.