The Iran Labour Confederation – Abroad has issued a letter of solidarity with BİRTEK-SEN and its president, Mehmet Türkmen, who has been detained since 16 March 2026. Türkmen was arrested following a speech he delivered during the Sirma Hali workers’ protests on 13 February, in which he criticised unsafe working conditions, employer impunity, and the lack of basic protections for workers.

The Confederation described the charges against him, including “spreading false information” and “disturbing public order,” as part of a wider attempt to suppress independent workers’ organisation and intimidate labour activists.

In its statement, the Confederation drew a direct connection between the repression faced by workers in Turkey and the long experience of Iranian workers and labour activists, who have faced arrest, imprisonment, torture, dismissal, and forced exile for defending their rights and building independent organisations.

The letter calls for the immediate release of Mehmet Türkmen and stresses that his freedom depends not only on legal pressure, but on broader workers’ solidarity inside Turkey and international support from trade unions and human rights organisations. Issued on 30 April 2026, on the eve of May Day, the letter frames Türkmen’s detention as a reminder of the urgent need to strengthen international labour solidarity.

Letter from the Iran Labour Confederation – Abroad in Support of BİRTEK-SEN and Mehmet Türkmen

To the BİRTEK-SEN Union,
and to its members and activists,

Dear comrades,

We, the Iran Labour Confederation Abroad, have followed with deep concern the news of the arrest of Mehmet Türkmen, President of the BİRTEK-SEN union.

Mehmet Türkmen was arrested on 16 March 2026 following a speech he delivered on 13 February during the protests of Sirma Hali workers. In that speech, he rightly drew attention to the unjust conditions prevailing in workplaces, the absence of occupational safety, and the impunity enjoyed by employers in the face of workers’ deaths and injuries. He also stressed the necessity of workers’ organisation, unity, and collective struggle. Yet he has been prosecuted on charges such as “spreading false information” and “disturbing public order.” As of 30 April 2026, he has now been held in detention for 46 days.

We regard this arrest as part of a broader effort to suppress independent workers’ organisation and to intimidate and weaken labour struggles. We declare our firm support for BİRTEK-SEN and its president. We demand the immediate release of Mehmet Türkmen and consider his continued detention completely unacceptable.

We, as workers and labour activists in Iran, know this situation very well. In Iran, workers and labour activists have also faced arrest, imprisonment, torture, dismissal from work, and even forced exile simply for raising demands, defending their rights, and attempting to build independent organisations. For this reason, what is happening today to Mehmet Türkmen and your colleagues is not unfamiliar to us.

We believe that only through the broad unity of workers can we stand against these pressures, acts of repression, and injustices. We consider the resistance of workers in Turkey and the efforts of our colleagues in BİRTEK-SEN to be highly important and valuable. We believe that the real path to securing Mehmet Türkmen’s freedom and reducing security pressures lies in expanding workers’ solidarity and united action across Turkey. At the same time, international support and solidarity from trade unions and human rights organisations can also play an important role in this struggle.

Here, we also address Mehmet Türkmen directly:

We deeply appreciate your efforts and struggles in defence of workers’ rights, and we declare our full support for you. Even one minute in prison is unjust for you. We are confident that your steadfastness and struggle will continue, and that your release will be met with broad solidarity and support from workers and your colleagues.

At a time when workers around the world are preparing for May Day, International Workers’ Day, and speaking of their struggles, militant labour activists such as Mehmet Türkmen are imprisoned precisely because of those very struggles. This situation once again reminds us of the urgent need to strengthen international workers’ solidarity.

We will send this letter not only to you, but also to other trade unions and international organisations, in order to draw greater attention to the situation of Mehmet Türkmen and to the struggles of workers in Turkey.

With respect and solidarity,
Iran Labour Confederation – Abroad
30 April 2026