Dismissal of Aziz Qasemzadeh from Education Ministry; Administrative Justice Court says 'with reduction'

The Coordinating Council of Teachers' Trade Unions in Iran announced that the Administrative Justice Court of the Islamic Republic confirmed the dismissal of Aziz Qasemzadeh by the Ministry of Education, calling the punishment 'legal' and 'with reduction'. According to reports, the initial ruling from the Ministry of Education for this teacher with 25 years of teaching experience was 'permanent dismissal from public services', but now the Administrative Justice Court states that the dismissal from education is 'a punishment with reduction'. Aziz Qasemzadeh, a teachers' union activist who was recently released from prison after suffering from cancer, filed a complaint with the Administrative Justice Court against the ruling issued by the Ministry of Education, criticizing the ministry for 'acting as a judge'. Previously, the Disciplinary Board of the Ministry of Education of the Islamic Republic had deemed the teachers' gatherings illegal and labeled Aziz Qasemzadeh's speech in defense of free education and imprisoned teachers as 'subversive'. On June 19, 2024, Aziz Qasemzadeh announced his prostate cancer diagnosis and stated that to prevent the spread of the cancerous mass, his prostate needed to be surgically removed. In response to the illness of this union activist, the Coordinating Council of Teachers' Trade Unions in Iran protested against the indifference of judicial authorities and the disruption of the treatment process for political prisoners, especially imprisoned teachers, emphasizing that judicial officials in Gilan province had repeatedly disrupted Aziz Qasemzadeh's treatment and unlawfully kept him in Lakan prison in Rasht for several months. Aziz Qasemzadeh, who has 25 years of teaching experience, was sentenced to one year in prison in Lakan prison in Rasht for 'propaganda against the regime' and was also sentenced to permanent dismissal from public jobs. Participation in teachers' union gatherings, singing at protest gatherings, and interviews with foreign news networks were among the accusations against this teachers' union activist, with the ruling body accusing him of 'inciting the teaching community to civil disobedience' and 'colluding with the sworn enemies of the Iranian nation'. Aziz Qasemzadeh's prostate cancer; this teachers' union activist was deprived of treatment for months in Rasht prison. The teachers' union stated that Ibrahim Raisi's term was one of the 'darkest' periods in the education system. The issuance of a dismissal ruling for a teacher; the Ministry of Education stands against teachers. Opposition to Aziz Qasemzadeh's medical leave; teachers remain under pressure. The Coordinating Council of Teachers' Trade Unions in Iran expressed concern over the physical condition of Hashem Khashtareh. Hundreds of teachers' and workers' union activists warned: Aziz Qasemzadeh's life is in danger in Lakan prison in Rasht.