Shame on regime of flogging and prison!
Hamid Rahmati, a member of Teachers Association of Iran was arrested on 29th December 2018, as he attended a sit-in and hunger strike in front of office of Education Ministry in Shareza, Fars province. He protested against arrests and imprisonment of teachers, including Esmael Abdi and Mahmood Beheshti.
On 1st January 2019 he was released on bail, but now, after the regime has turned it into a security case, Branch 103 of Criminal Court of Islamic Republic in Shahreza has sentenced him to 3 years prison, 74 lashes, and $600 fine.
He will have to spend 10 months of his sentence in Naein city in Isfahan province, and endure the lashes in courtyard of Shahreza prison in presence of all the prisoners and a supervising judge.
Back in 2006, Hamid was arrested for attending teachers’ protest and was sentenced to exile. On his way to Mazandaran province, where he was exiled to, he was involved in a car accident and was in comma for a while.
The heinous sentence has already sparked outrage amongst teachers in Iran; many teachers and activists have already condemned the sentence against Hamid.
Hamid Rahmati isn’t the first teachers to have been sentenced as such. Mohamad Habibi, another member of Teachers Association of Iran who is currently in prison, has been sentenced to 74 lashes and 7.5 years.
Condemnation of the heinous sentences against the activists has been a subject of many strikes and protests by teachers in Iran.
Campaign to Free Jailed Workers (Free Them Now) calls on all the workers’ and humanitarian organisations to strongly condemn the vile and barbaric sentences against the activists. The Islamic Republic must not be allowed to carry out the heinous sentences against the teachers who demand nothing but some basic rights.
We call on everyone to join our campaign and support our resolution to ban flogging and to end such barbaric sentences, and to expel Islamic Republic from International Labour Organisation. Defend the struggle of the workers and the people of Iran by supporting the campaign and the resolution.
The flogging and prison sentences against Hamid Rahmati and Mohamad Habibi must be abolished, all the security cases against activists must be closed, and all the jailed activists must be released immediately and unconditionally.
05 July 2019
Campaign to Free Jailed Workers In Iran – Free Them Now