Victorian Trades Hall Council. The voice of Victorian workers since 1856.Victorian Trades Hall Council. The voice of Victorian workers since 1856.

Iranian unionist jailed by Howard Government since 2000

Daryoush Hooshmand Nejad is an electrician and union activist who fled to Australia from Iran over four years ago. He was fleeing for his life from the brutal Iranian government. Instead of being given refugee status, however, Daryoush has been locked up - without charge or trial - since he arrived in Australia in October 2000.

Daryoush Hooshmand Nejad worked as an electrical technician in an oil refinery in Iran for twelve years before he fled Iran in 2000. People in the industrial city of Abadan, a major centre for Iran's oil industry, had been suffering from chronic shortages of drinking water. The effects of a drought were made much worse by the incompetence and corruption of the local government. When people protested in July 2000, the authorities shot dead two protestors and riots erupted.

The Iranian Government, one of the most repressive in the world, responded with a massive crackdown on the organisers of the protest. Daryoush is one of many who were forced to flee for their lives or be killed.

Like many others, Daryoush has been failed by the cruel and often bizarre rules administered by the Australian Government's immigration department. Now, like other refugees from Iran, he is facing the prospect of being forcibly deported back to the country from which he fled. Two other men, brothers who fled after the Abadan riots, were returned to Iran by the Australian Government in August 2001 and April 2002. Family members went to meet the first man at the airport, but he never came out. His brother has also disappeared.

Daryoush is one of 68 Iranians held in immigration detention in Australia. The Government has over 100 refugees like Daryoush locked in Baxter, along with around 150 other people. All the refugees have been detained for over three years, some for up to six years - simply for fleeing to Australia to find safety. Another 54 refugees are still jailed on the island of Nauru, and some dozens more in Australian Government funded internment camps in Indonesia.

Daryoush has struggled for his freedom since being locked up by the Australian Government. Before Christmas 2004 he was involved in a hunger strike at Baxter detention centre. Like many others in Baxter, Daryoush suffers from serious stress and mental illness as a result of his long and unjust detention.

As unionists, we know that we all go forward together or we all go back together. We know that the Australian government is attacking refugees to promote racism and divide us from our fellow workers.

We are serious when we say "an injury to one is an injury to all". Today we must give solidarity to our union brother in Baxter, and the many more refugees who are in his situation.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Help us to free Daryoush:

Propose a motion in your union to demand that the Australian government immediately release Daryoush.

Then ask your union to send a letter to Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone (Parliament House, Canberra, ACT 2600 Australia) informing her of your union's support for Daryoush's release and bid to stay in Australia. Please send copies to AAWL

Attend rallies to support freedom and justice for refugees with others from your workplace.

Bring your union flags and banner. Check www.rac-vic.org for the latest information.

Organise to have a refugee speaker at your next union meeting to find out more about life in the detention camps and different ways to support the campaign. Call AAWL on 03 9663 7277 to organise this.

Contribute to the AAWL refugees project to support freedom for Daryoush and all refugees in detention: Commonwealth Bank BSB 063123 Account: 10034866 Ref: FRP


More Archive

More Latest News

Powered By three squares