For a long time teachers in Iran have been facing issues that the authorities refused to address. The teachers held assemblies to protest the issues but the authorities accused them of “action against national security”, “action against order in the country”, “propaganda against the regime”, “political activities”, and “attending illegal gatherings”, and the judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran sentenced them to imprisonment, social exclusion, and lashes.
Here is a list of the objection and demands for which the teachers have been imprisoned:
- No to poverty
- No to wages blow poverty line
- No to embezzlements
- No to discriminations
- No to inequality
- Free education for all
- Free healthcare for all
- End to privatisation of schools
- End to commercialising education
- Release of all imprisoned teachers
- End to militarising peaceful workers’ industrial actions
- Prioritising safety of school buildings
The response from the authorities has been very brief:
- Imprisonment up to 10 years
- 74 lashes
The imprisoned teachers, their families, and their colleagues have stood strongly and united. They continue to protest, strike, hold assemblies, and insist on their legitimate demands. On 5th October 2018, International Teachers’ Day, members of Teachers’ Association, families of the imprisoned teachers, teachers, and retired teachers, and other social practitioners and activists attended gathering in several cities in Iran and raised the issues as well as call for “immediate and unconditional release of the imprisoned teachers”.
The response of the authorities to the teachers’ gatherings and insistence on the legitimate demands has been more pressure on the imprisoned teachers:
- Denial of medical attention to imprisoned teachers
- Solitary confinements and harsher conditions
But still the imprisoned teachers stand strong and keep at their passion for humanity:
- Mohammad Habibi, member of the board of directors of the Teachers’ Association in Tehran, arrested on May 10,2018, is still in prison.
Sentence: Ten and a half years imprisonment and 74 lashes
- Esmail Abdi, a teacher and a member of the executive board of Teachers’ Association of Tehran, arrested on November 9, 2016 and still in prison.
Sentence: 6 years imprisonment
- Mahmoud Beheshti, teacher and a member of the board of directors of the Teachers’ Association, arrested on September12, 2017 and still in prison.
Sentence: 5 years imprisonment
- Rouhollah Mardani, a teacher and student at Tehran University, arrested February 17, 2018 and is still in prison.
Sentence: 6 years imprisonment and 2 years of social exclusion
“Free Them Now” calls on all workers organisation, specially teachers unions to demand immediate and unconditional release of the detained teachers in Iran.
Free Them Now (Campaign to Free Jailed Workers in Iran)
shahla.Daneshfar2@gmail.com
October 9,2018