IRAN -- INDONESIAN LABOR KEEPS UP PRESSURE ON IRAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L JAKARTA 000491 SIPDIS SIPDIS DPET FOR EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, DRL/IL, DRL/PHD DOL FOR ILAB:BSASSER NSC FOR EPHU E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/11/2018 TAGS: PGOV PHUM ELAB ID IR SUBJECT: IRAN -- INDONESIAN LABOR KEEPS UP PRESSURE ON IRAN REF: 07 JAKARTA 3257 Classified By: Pol/C Joseph Legend Novak, reasons 1.4(b+d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: An Indonesian labor union has held a rally demanding the release of imprisoned Iranian labor leaders. The rally took place outside of the Iranian Embassy in Jakarta. The group called on President Yudhoyono to postpone his trip to Iran, which began on March 10. Our guess is that this example of international labor solidarity will have little impact on the GOI, but the rally--the fourth of its kind--is an embarrassment to Iran. END SUMMARY. RALLY AGAINST IRAN ¶2. (SBU) An Indonesian labor union has held a rally against the Iranian government. Indonesian Coordinator of the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) Hanafi Rustandi led a demonstration of 200 transportation workers outside of the Iranian Embassy on March 6. ITF delivered a petition to the Iranian Embassy demanding the release of Mansour Oslanloo, Chair of the Tehran Transport Trade Union, and Mahmoud Salehi, a Kurdish labor union leader, who were arrested in 2007 for organizing-related activities. This was the fourth protest organized by ITF in Indonesia since Oslanloo's arrest. PRESSURING THE GOI ¶3. (C) The ITF also publicly called on President Yudhoyono to postpone his visit to Iran until labor rights conditions improve there. ITF delivered a letter through the State Secretary's Office asking the President to press for the two SIPDIS labor leaders' release, Hanafi told Labatt. He said he has gotten no response to the letter. "As a Muslim country, Indonesia must play an important role in persuading Iran to fix labor conditions," Hanafi said. Another KPI leader, Sonny Pattiselano, told Labatt, "We are very, very saddened that President Yudhoyono is visiting Iran." LABOR STIRS THE POT ¶4. (C) Hanafi is a tough customer and made a daring visit to Iran in October 2007 to fight for the release of detained Iranian labor leaders (reftel). His visit to Iran as ITF envoy did succeed in getting Oslanloo an eye operation which reportedly prevented him from going blind, but did not result in his release. We have little doubt that Hanafi and the ITF will keep up the pressure. ¶5. (C) More generally, Indonesian civil society is increasingly taking an active role in promoting human rights overseas as it sees consolidation of Indonesia's own hard-won democratic gains as linked to the global democratization movement. Our guess, however, is that this example of international labor solidarity will have little impact on the GOI (labor is not a politically powerful force in Indonesia, in general),but the rally--the fourth of its kind--is an embarrassment to Iran. HUME