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Iranian union leader 'arrested' Iranian union leader 'abducted'
(about 1 hour later)
A prominent Iranian union leader, Mansour Osanlou, has been seized by unidentified men, reports say. An international trade union has condemned the disappearance of Iranian union leader Mansour Osanlou, who has reportedly been abducted in Tehran.
Mr Osanlou's wife, Parvaneh, told the BBC he was beaten and dragged off a bus by four men in Tehran late on Tuesday. Mr Osanlou's wife told the BBC her husband was pulled from a bus by unidentified men on Tuesday evening.
She said the men were security officers who accused Mr Osanlou of being a thief before they forced him into a car. The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) has written to Iran's president to protest.
Mr Osanlou, head of Tehran's transport workers' trade union, spent most of 2006 in prison for organising a strike in 2005 over pay and conditions. Mr Osanlou, head of Tehran's transport workers' union, spent most of 2006 in prison for running a strike in 2005.
The international transport union, ITF, said there was strong reason to believe Mr Osanlou was being held by the Iranian authorities. It has written to Tehran in protest. As the director of the Union of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, Mr Osanlou was first detained in December 2005 for organising a walk-out by bus drivers.
This is a blatant violation of human and trade union rights David CockroftInternational transport union
ITF General Secretary David Cockroft said: "All of us are behind him now and demand his release and the reining in of the bullies and thugs who are hounding him.
"This is a blatant violation of human and trade union rights and we will take whatever action is necessary to secure the immediate release of Mansour Osanlou," he said.
Freed on bail
Mr Osanlou, the director of the Union of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, was first detained in December 2005 for organising a walk-out by bus drivers.
The drivers then planned another strike in January 2006 in response to his detention and to demand recognition of their trade union activities.The drivers then planned another strike in January 2006 in response to his detention and to demand recognition of their trade union activities.
The Iranian government responded by pre-emptively detaining hundreds of drivers, including several union organisers. This is a blatant violation of human and trade union rights David CockroftInternational transport union The Iranian government responded by pre-emptively detaining hundreds of drivers, including several union organisers.
All were later released, but Mr Osanlou was detained in Tehran's Evin prison for several months before being freed on bail.All were later released, but Mr Osanlou was detained in Tehran's Evin prison for several months before being freed on bail.
Recent expressions of worker discontent have prompted swift crackdowns by the Iranian authorities. His union is not recognised by the Iranian government, but it is the first independent Iranian trade unions to be affiliated to an international organisation, says the BBC's Pam O'Toole.
Mr Osanlou received a standing ovation when he spoke at a recent conference in Europe.
'Bullies and thugs'
The ITF said there was strong reason to believe Mr Osanlou was being held by the Iranian authorities.
The organisation's Secretary General, David Cockroft, says Mr Osanlou has frequently been badly treated by Iranian authorities.
"He's been imprisoned about three times now. He has been beaten up on arrest, [and] he has been the subject of harassment by the security apparatus inside Iran simply for being the president of one of the first independent genuine trade unions which have been established in Iran.
"All of us are behind him now and demand his release and the reining in of the bullies and thugs who are hounding him."
Iran has made no comment about Mr Osanlou's disappearance.