Ei-iE

On the United Nations' International Day in Support of Victims of Torture - observed every year on 26 June - EI pays tribute to the innocent trade union rights activists who are subjected to moral harassment, intimidation, physical assaults and torture for defending fundamental human rights.

Advocating for the rights of workers can only be exercised in a climate free from violence, pressure or threats against the leaders and members of the unions, and this is not what trade union organisations witness in a number of countries: Zimbabwe, Colombia, Burma, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Iran, to name a few.

EI will continue to denounce acts of anti-union discrimination and interference in the activities of trade union members. EI will also continue to advocate for the release of union activists jailed, and sometimes tortured, in connection with their trade union activities.

Earlier this month, EI submitted a report to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture highlighting ill-treatment and torture suffered by five union members of the Ethiopia Teachers' Association.