Continued Pressure on Teacher Union Activists; Atekeh Rajabi Tried Without Reviewing the Indictment

Simultaneously with the ongoing administrative, security, and judicial confrontations with teachers and union activists, the Coordinating Council of Teachers' Trade Unions of Iran reported on the trial session of Atekeh Rajabi, a teacher union activist, at the 7th branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Mashhad. The council wrote on its Telegram channel: The court session for this teacher union activist was held on Tuesday, August 30, under conditions where the court did not give her the opportunity to study the indictment and had not issued a summons for her attendance. According to this report, Ms. Rajabi had previously been expelled from the Ministry of Education by a disciplinary board. The Coordinating Council of Teachers' Trade Unions of Iran also wrote that the illegal practices of the Islamic Revolutionary Courts in dealing with defendants are not new and that "judges in these courts have simultaneously taken on the roles of prosecutor and security agency." Additionally, one union activist told Voice of America that the "illegal" court session was held under conditions where "neither Ms. Rajabi nor her lawyer were allowed to study the issued indictment, and even her summons to court was made through a phone call to one of her relatives the day before the court session." This source, who requested anonymity, added: "The time between the issuance of the indictment, the determination of the court branch, and the holding of the illegal court session was all completed in less than a week, which shows the increasing severity of lawlessness in the Islamic Republic and the repression of protesters." He further stated that due to the "tightness of this process, Atekeh Rajabi saw her lawyer for the first time on the day of the court session and did not even have the opportunity to explain her case to him." This teacher union activist told Voice of America that a group of teachers are sending a report on the extent of repression and severe human rights violations against Ms. Rajabi to several international assemblies and organizations. Previously, Erfan Karamvaysi, the lawyer of Jafar Ebrahimi, an inspector of the Coordinating Council of Teachers' Trade Unions of Iran, had announced that his client had been sentenced to five years in prison, two of which are enforceable. Mr. Ebrahimi was arrested along with more than 230 teachers and teacher union activists on the eve of the protest gathering on the first of Ordibehesht last year. According to the Coordinating Council of Teachers' Trade Unions of Iran, the first branch of the implementation of the Islamic Revolutionary Court has issued a notice for the execution of six years of imprisonment for Sara Siahpour, stating that "due to the failure to introduce and deliver the mentioned individual, an order has been issued to confiscate your bail in favor of the government." The council condemned the wave of pressure on union activists, stating that the continuation of this pressure not only does not hinder activism but is considered "one of the important factors for the continuation of demands and the cohesion of demanders in the path of union activism." Meanwhile, the Teachers' Trade Union of Bushehr Province announced that the disciplinary review board of the Ministry of Education has confirmed the "permanent separation and expulsion" of Mahmoud Malaki, a teacher and inspector of this union, who is currently serving a one-year prison sentence in Bushehr Central Prison. The Coordinating Council of Teachers' Trade Unions of Iran also announced that the disciplinary board of the Ministry of Education has issued a permanent separation and expulsion order for Mohammad Saidi Abou Es-haghi, a teacher and artist from Lordegan in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province. The council wrote that this teacher has been accused of "supporting and working for hostile groups, acting to honor and keep the unrest alive, visiting the families of the bereaved, questioning the treatment of rioters and mythologizing them, preparing images, articles, and films of their activities using music, art, and emotions, and republishing them in cyberspace." The Coordinating Council of Teachers' Trade Unions of Iran considered the repeated issuance of rulings such as group reductions, forced retirement, and separation from service against teachers by the Ministry of Education as stemming from the military and security atmosphere that has taken over this ministry. Support for imprisoned teachers was demonstrated in protest gatherings by retirees in Kermanshah. Sattar Rahmani stated: The regime wants to take control of schools through intimidation of teachers and the presence of clerics. Retirees in several cities of Iran took to the streets for economic protests and to support imprisoned teachers. A letter from teachers "deprived of ranking" was sent to Ebrahim Raisi, criticizing the security perspective towards union activists. The Secretary-General of the Iranian Teachers' Organization has been sentenced to imprisonment and travel bans, along with social deprivations. The condition of a teacher in Evin Prison has worsened; the trial of four teachers accused of propaganda against the regime has been held. A teacher union activist has been summoned; Atekeh Rajabi stated: I will not go back on the path I have taken.