Mohamad Habib, a teacher activist and a member of Teachers’ Association of Iran was arrested on 10th May 2018 after attending a teachers’ assembly in front of office of organisation of Planning and Budget of Islamic Republic of Iran. He is convicted to harsh and long jail sentences.
He was accused of “collaboration for committing crimes against national security and propaganda against the regime”, “conspiracy and collusion against national security”, “disturbing of public order” and “propaganda against the regime”.
On 24th December 2018, Mohamad Habibi was sentenced to 10 years and six months imprisonment, 74 lashes, and two years social exclusion (travel ban and banned from political activities) by judge Ahmadzadeh in branch 26 of revolutionary court of Islamic Republic of Iran.
As you know, teachers in Iran have been protesting for their rights:
Free education for all, Release of all imprisoned teachers, An end to the privatisation of schools, An end to the commercialisation of education, Raising wages above the poverty line, Free healthcare for all, Right to assembly, Right to organise
On 10th May 2018, after the peaceful assembly with such demands, intelligence services’ agents went to Mohamad Habibi’s school and arrested him. Eye witnesses say: “they used pepper spray on him and held a handgun to his head in front of the children and colleagues. They brutally beat him up when he asked for court order.”
The agents took him to his house to search the place. When they arrived at his house Mohamad asked them to wait until his wife comes back from work but the agents beat him up so brutally that neighbours called the police. Finally they went in and took all of his computer and phone.
Since the arrest Mohamad Habibi has been subjected to abuses and torture. His wife raised concerns about his health and his worrying conditions.
Islamic Republic of Iran has made “national security” and “propaganda against the regime” an excuse to oppress workers and right activists such as Mohamad Habibi. The unacceptable excuse and outrageous behaviour of the Islamic Republic against the dissent is the regime’s only option to fight the society that demands its legitimate and undeniable rights.
Demands for freedom of Mohamad Habibi and other jailed teachers and workers are now heard in most protests and assemblies in Iran and many international organisations have written to heads of Islamic Republic to demand their freedom, that brings hope and strength to the activists and their families but the regime must know that it must free the jailed teachers and workers and activists.
Islamic Republic of Iran must know that for every day it keeps activists behinds bars more isolated it gets and louder the protests against the injustice and inhumanity become. Such regime that treats workers and right activists like criminals has no place in international community and it’s duty of those who care for the rights and the humane values to support the people of Iran and help them put an end to the rule of inhumanity in Iran.
We call on teachers, workers and humanitarian organisations to condemn the sentence, demand immediate and unconditional release of Mohamad Habibi and other jailed activists, and write to their governments to demand expulsion of representatives of Islamic Republic of Iran from their countries.
Campaign to Free jailed workers in Iran (Free Them Now)
30 December 2018