A Teachers' Union: Teachers Do Not Belong in Prison, Rasoul Badaghi Must Be Freed

Support from teachers' unions, retirees, and labor organizations in Iran for the 'Campaign for the Freedom of Rasoul Badaghi,' an imprisoned teachers' activist, continues. The Teachers' Union of Active and Retired Educators in Islamabad-e Gharb announced on Thursday, August 4, that 'teachers do not belong in prison' and called for the release of Rasoul Badaghi, emphasizing that 'union activities are not a crime.' This union referred to Mr. Badaghi as a 'true and rightful union activist' and expressed its support for his freedom campaign. Previously, the Fars Teachers' Union, the Iranian Retirees Council, the National Union of Workers and Retirees of Iran, the Coordinating Council of Teachers' Unions of Iran, and the Free Workers' Union of Iran have also declared their support for this campaign. Additionally, participants in a protest gathering on Tuesday, August 2, in Kermanshah demanded the release of Rasoul Badaghi. The campaign for Rasoul Badaghi's freedom condemns the 'injustices inflicted' on this imprisoned teacher, recalling his nine years of imprisonment over the past 14 years, and calls for 'an end to the compounded oppression and suffering inflicted on him and his family.' So far, about 6,200 people have signed the campaign's statement demanding his release. The statement mentions Badaghi's arrest and dismissal from work in December 2009 and his seven years in prison without even a single hour of leave, noting that he was arrested and imprisoned again in May 2022. According to this statement, this union activist has been deprived of leave for over two years, except for four days, and 'the efforts of his lawyers for his freedom have been fruitless due to the rejection of the case review by the Supreme Court,' and recently, his phone calls have also been restricted. A part of the campaign's statement reads: 'Despite all the hardships inflicted on Rasoul Badaghi, he never complains about the injustices done to himself, but regarding the violation of the rights of teachers and students, the lack of modern and fundamental education in Iran, and educational inequalities, his voice has been louder from prison than all other activists in this field.' Mohammad Habibi, a member of the Coordinating Council of Teachers' Unions, stated in an interview with 'Emtedad' in May of this year that 61 teachers are facing open legal cases, 10 teachers have been released from prison with electronic ankle monitors, and some are still in prison. According to HRANA, Rasoul Badaghi, an inspector of the Teachers' Union and a member of the Coordinating Council of Teachers' Unions, was sentenced to four years in prison for 'gathering and collusion' and one year for 'propaganda against the regime,' along with additional penalties including a two-year ban on leaving the country and residing in Tehran and all neighboring provinces. His conviction was upheld in early June of the same year. This teachers' union activist was again sentenced in November 2022 by the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran to four years and six months for 'gathering and collusion' and one year for 'propaganda against the regime,' along with a two-year ban on activities and membership in groups and leaving the country. He is currently serving his sentence in Evin Prison.