Islamic regime has arrested many teachers and humanists and social activists, and has sentenced them to harsh and long term jail sentences. We call on all unions and progressive organisations all around the world to support us in the struggle to release them. Some of the names of the prisoners are:
– Esmail Abdi: He is a member of the executive board of Teachers Association of Tehran, was arrested to serve a 6 years jail term on November 9, 2016.
-Mahmoud Beheshti: a teacher and a member of the board of directors of the teacher’s Association and has received 5 years jail sentence and was arrested on September12, 2017.
– Mohammed Habibi: a member of the board of directors of the Teachers’ Association in Tehran, he was arrested on May 10 2018. On August 5th, he was sentenced to ten and a half years prison and 74 lashes by the judicial authorities In Iran.
– Rouhollah Mardani: a teacher and student at Tehran University, was sentenced to 6 years jail and 2 years of social exclusion from all jobs. He was arrested on February 17, 2018
-Abdol Reza Ghanbari: teacher, was arrested on October 13, 2018. He has previously spent 7 years in jail under security charges. He had 10 years conviction but following a mass campaign in support of him, the aurthorities accepted to review his case and he was released in march 16, 2016 on bail. In reviewing his case the Islamic court increased his conviction from 10 to 15 years in prison and now he has to serve this long prison term.
-Mohammad Ali Zahmatkesh: member of Teachers’ Association of Shiraz city. He was arrested on May 7 2019 to serve 8 months jail.
-Omid Shahmohammadi: teacher from Divandareh city, was arrested on June 9, 2019 to serve one year jail sentence.
-Hashem Khastar: Retired teacher, head of the Teachers’ Union Centre and a human rights activist, was arrested August11, 2019 in Mashhad city, northeast of Iran.
-Maryam Mohammadi: Women’s right activist from Voice of Women (Neda-ye Zanan) and a voluntary literacy educator of housewives and cotton picker children, she was arrested on July 8, 2019.
-Asrin Darkaleh: Women’s right activist from Voice of Women (Neda-ye Zanan) and ) and a voluntary literacy educator of housewives was arrested on July 8, 2019.
-Mohammad Taghi Fallahi:Secretary general of the Teachers’ Association in Tehran, was sentenced to 8 months in prison and 10 lashes. The sentences has been suspended for three years.
Yasramini Azar: Teacher activist from Mahabad city was sentenced to 6 months jail.
Teachers call for the immediate release of all detained colleagues and an end to brand their struggles as a security threat. The teachers demands include: pay rise above poverty line, free education for all, Free healthcare for all, freedom of all imprisoned teachers, Prioritising safety of schools, higher quality of education system, and an end to school privatisations, an end to commercialising education.
“Free Them Now” urges all international labour organisations, human rights organisations, progressive political parties, and all workers organisations and teachers’ associations to condemn the Islamic regime for the arrests, persecutions and harassment of the teachers and social activists, and to demand immediate and unconditional release of all detained teachers. “Free Them Now”calls for an immediate ban of the lashing sentences and the cancellation of Mohammad Habibi and Mohammad Taghi Fallahi’s convictions as well as the cancellation of all national security sentences given to workers` activists, teachers and all political activists. Please support our demands and join us in any way you can, including the condemnation of the Islamic Republic through open protest letters and putting pressure on the International Labour Organization (ILO) to end the appeasement with the Islamic regime. All workers, teachers and political prisoners must be released immediately and unconditionally
shahla.Daneshfar2@gmail.com
August, 2019