Ali Khamenei , Supreme Leader of Iran
Office of the Supreme Leader of Iran
Dear Ayatollah Khamenei:
On behalf of the 45,000 public school teachers in British Columbia, Canada, I am writing to condemn the arrest, persecution and harassment of teachers in Iran.
The BC Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) is alarmed by the number of teachers who have been arrested or detained as a direct result of their association with teacher organizations and standing up for just working conditions. Among those currently detained are Esmaeil Abdi, a member of the executive board of the Teachers Association of Tehran, Nahid Fathalian, a retired teacher, Mohammad Habibi, a member of the board of directors of the Teachers’ Association in Tehran, Yaser Amin Azar, a teacher from Mohabad, Hashem Khaksar, and a teacher from Mashhad, Mahdi Farahi Shandiz. All of these teachers are considered political prisoners, jailed for their struggles for free, quality, public education across the country.
The BCTF believes that schools are central to flourishing communities and must be places that are safe for students and teachers. We fully support the demands of our colleagues in Iran for fair wages and safe working conditions. Furthermore, we believe that every child has the right to a free, quality public education and we join teachers in Iran in condemning the privatization and commercialization of public education.
The global COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the risk that jailed teachers, and all political prisoners in Iran face. In addition to losing their freedom, our colleagues are now facing the risk of death in jails. We support the demands of the Free Them Now coalition for the immediate and unconditional release of all detained teachers.
Sincerely,
Teri Mooring
President
pc: Hassan Rouhani, President of Iran
Majid Takht-Ravanchi, Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the UN
Shahla Daneshfar, Free Them Now Coordinator