Mansour Osanloo, president of the 17,000-member Sherkat-e-Vahed bus drivers union in Tehran, was freed December 19 on heavy bail after spending one month in the infamous Evin prison. His release — the second in four months — followed a global solidarity campaign by the Solidarity Center; the AFL-CIO; the International Transport Federation (ITF), with which Vahed is affiliated; the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC); and numerous other unions, human rights organizations, and individual activists.

Before releasing Osanloo, authorities asked him to resign his union presidency, but he refused to do so. Vahed Vice President Ebrahim Madadi issued a statement on behalf of Osanloo, his family, and the members of Vahed, thanking the ITUC, the ITF, and their affiliates for their solidarity. He added that he looks forward to expanding Vahed's relationships so that the ILO Conventions will be implemented in Iran.

Despite this joyful development, members of the Vahed syndicate continue to be harassed and scrutinized. Just last month, for example, 12 Vahed union executive board members on their way to Tabriz for an ILO workshop were arrested and held at the police station for more than five hours until ILO officials secured their release. Osanloo had initially been arrested from January to August 2006 for labor organizing activity and was freed on exorbitant bail after a concerted effort from the international labor community. On November 19, 2006, he was brutally kidnapped by Iranian security and intelligence plainclothes agents, who returned him to prison on ill-defined charges.