Written; Nazila Marufian
Translate from Persian; Roman Mireki
Osman Esmaili a labor activist and prisoner from Saqez underwent surgery and his physical condition is described as alarming. This Kurdish labor activist has spent his life as a construction worker since childhood.
Osman Esmaili a labor activist has not given up fighting for a justice and free society despite enduring several decades of exile, prison, torture, etc. And still stands by his promise. Osman Esmaili who is in prison again today underwent surgery on May 30, 2024. His relatives declared his condition to be alarming. For this reason Nazila deals with the history of the activities of this labor activist in an article.
Osman Esmaili is one of the important figures of the workers movement in Kurdistan. He belongs to working class and he understands with skin, flesh and bones more than other problems and injustices towards working class especially in areas like Kurdistan.
Osman Esmaili was born in Saqez in 1957. He was able to continue his education only up to the elementary level; Because he lived in a worker’s family and had to think about his income and untie a knot of family’s economic problems. Construction worker has been his only source of income since childhood until now.
1980s; A decade mixed with prison and exile for Osman Esmaili
Osman Esmaili was sentenced to 25 years of exile in Kerman after his arrest in 1986. In these 25 years, he was able to visit his homeland only a few times for one or two days in the form of leave. In all the 25 years he lived in exile, he was always the voice of working class and those who are under the domination and oppression of the Islamic Republic and exile could not make him forget problems of people of his country.
Osman Esmaili returns to Saqez in the early 2011s after the end of his exile. His return was mixed with many summons from the security agencies and repeated arrests. Every year on the eve of International Labor Day, these arrests became much more intense than before; So that Esmaili was arrested and sentenced to prison several times for participating in International Labor Day rallies.
In 2013, he was arrested on charges of participating in the International Labor Day rally in Saqez and after sometimes he was released from prison on bail.
In 2015, Osman Esmaili along with Mahmoud Salehi who is one of the founders of the coordinating committee for the creation of Labor Organizations were arrested in Saqez and were kept in the detention center of Sanandaj Intelligence Department for a month.
After that, Esmaili was arrested in 2017 and 2018 for participating in the International Labor Day rallies.
The next arrest of Osman Esmaili dates back to 2020. On June 21, 2020, he and Mahmoud Salehi were brought to court by the fifth branch of Saqez Court on the charge of disseminating the “Komele” logo. They explain that what they have published is not owned by Komele and that the logo belongs to all workers of the world.
On May 16, 2021, the next arrest of Esmaili took place. This time he was imprisoned in solitary confinement for a month in the detention center of the Intelligence Department due to his participation in the International Labors Day event and the publication of photos and videos related to that event.
In June of the same year, he was sentenced to 6 months in prison by the Saqez Revolutionary Court. A few months later, on October 15 of same year he was arrested for giving a speech at the grave of mother of one of those executed in the 1980s in Sanandaj.
Exactly one year later, on the eve of International Labor Day, Osman Esmaili was arrested again in his home by the raid of the security forces and after sometimes he was temporarily released from prison on bail.
Labor activists are among the pioneers of the revolution of women, life, freedom
The Jina Amini movement in Kurdistan and Saqez city was the beginning to renew the solidarity and unity of the Iranian people; a movement with a strong presence of union activists including workers, teachers and students. Labor activists in Iran especially in Saqez City have had a prominent presence in this movement.
Osman Esmaili was one of the hundreds of labor activists who were arrested and filed against him in the Women, Life, Freedom Movement for speaking at the funeral of Jina Amini. He was arrested by the security forces on Shahada Saqez Street on February 10, 2023 without a court order or prior summons and was taken to one of the security detention centers in Sanandaj.
Osman Esmaili was temporarily released from prison after nearly two and a half months of temporary detention in the detention center of the Sanandaj Intelligence Department with a bail of one billion tomans. He was sentenced to 40 months of penal servitude by the Saqez Revolutionary Court, which was finally reduced to 16 months.
Before his re-arrest on October 30, 2023, Esmaili wrote on her Instagram page that Islamic Revolution Court of Saqez had sentenced him to 16 months in prison on charge of “membership in Komele and Communist Party of Iran”.
He had pointed out that many times by defending his labor activities, he rejected the accusations which of course was not accepted by the court and the security institutions. Esmaili was sent to Saqez prison to execute the sentence on November 13, 2023.
“Gradual Death Project”; this time, the lottery is named after Osman Esmaili
From the beginning of its work until now, the Islamic Republic has repeatedly started the project of their gradual death by not providing medical services and medical leave for political prisoners. Preventing access to medical services is one of the common methods used by the Islamic Republic to eliminate its opponents.
Behnam Mahjoubi, a political prisoner is an example of this way of exclusions. Zainab Jalalian, Feringis Mazloum, Zahra Safaei, Maryam Mohammadi, Narges Mansouri, Ali Nouri and Arash Sadeghi are just a few names from the long list that the Islamic Republic has tortured by preventing them from starting the treatment process or preventing them from accessing the necessary treatment. It has progressed to the verge of killing them.
Osman Esmaili is one of the newer and extreme examples of this government project. Before going to prison he was suffering from asthma, rheumatism and heart disease.
Yadullah Samadi, the spokesman of Osman Esmaili Defend Committee says;
”Osman Esmaili was suffering from many diseases before going to prison, but after spending less than two months of his imprisonment on December 24, 2023, he suffered from severe pain in his abdomen and with the confirmation of the forensic doctor, it was determined that he had a “hernia” disease and he should undergo surgery as soon as possible.”
Yadullah Samadi points out that after a few days, Saqez prison authorities transfer Osman Esmaili to Tehran’s Evin prison for surgery but Evin prison refuses to accept him and declares that it is not responsible for his illness.
Osman Esmaili Committee spokesperson about this says;
”After Osman Esmaili was not accepted by Evin prison, he was sent back to Saqez prison. After the family’s pressure and follow-up, Osman Esmaili was transferred to Sanandaj central prison on February 12, 2024 for surgery. After conducting numerous tests all of which were done at his own expense. Osman Esmaili’s doctor realized that he had spinal canal stenosis and must undergo surgery otherwise the possibility of paralysis is very high. Nevertheless on April 1, 2024, Osman Esmaili was returned to Saqez central prison after two and a half months without undergoing any surgery even the hernia surgery which was the reason he was first transferred to Sanandaj.”
Yadullah Samadi continue says;
”On the other hand, after Osman Esmaili was transferred to Saqez prison, the doctors emphasized that before any surgery he should undergo an angiography to be sure about the condition of his heart.”
After a lot of efforts and follow-ups by the family, labor activists and International Organizations, Osman Esmaili finally came on sick leave on May 25, 2024 with a bail of one billion tomans for only five days but due to the deterioration of his physical condition this leave was extended again.
On May 30, 2024, Osman Esmaili underwent surgery; his relatives declared his condition alarming.
