Exclusive; Spokesperson for the Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers' Trade Unions Calls for the Release of Two Imprisoned Teachers

Eskandar Lotfi, spokesperson for the Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers' Trade Unions, expressed concern for the health of imprisoned teachers Iraj Rahnama and Gholamreza Gholami-Kandazi during an exclusive interview with VOA on Saturday, January 30. He called for the suspension of their prison sentences and their release until a new ruling is issued. Simultaneously, the council announced that the number of signatories to a statement warning the judiciary about the hunger strikes of Rahnama and Gholami-Kandazi and their health had exceeded 2,300. Iraj Rahnama and Gholamreza Gholami-Kandazi, imprisoned members of the Fars Teachers' Trade Association in Shiraz, have been sentenced to 5 and 11 years in prison, respectively, and have been on hunger strike since January 23 in protest against the 'unjust rulings' of the court. The statement, which has been signed by over 2,300 individuals, states that following widespread gatherings of educators in Fars province in recent years and the opening of a new chapter of union demands, officials of the Fars Trade Association have incurred many costs, such as unjust, heavy sentences and long-term imprisonments due to this cohesion and unity. The signatories of the statement noted that considering the physical and age conditions of these two imprisoned union activists and the memories stemming from the hunger strike, their families and union activists are deeply concerned. The statement calls on judicial officials to accept the demands of Iraj Rahnama and Gholamreza Gholami-Kandazi to end their hunger strike and to 'review the cases of active teachers in Fars province fairly and without a security and political perspective as soon as possible.' The signatories warned that if judicial officials remain indifferent, they hold the judiciary primarily responsible for any danger to the lives of these demanding and rights-seeking teachers. Eskandar Lotfi stated that the imprisonment and sentences against Gholamreza Gholami-Kandazi and Iraj Rahnama stem from the uprising of thousands of teachers fed up with discrimination and exploitation in Fars province in Shiraz. He emphasized the importance of teachers' protests in Fars province, particularly in Shiraz, and noted that the solidarity and unity of Fars educators with teachers across Iran marked the most glorious days of the teachers' protest movement in Iran's socio-political history in 1400 (2021). Lotfi added that 'thousands of teachers occupied Adl Street in Shiraz to protest against ideological education and class-based education. According to the spokesperson for the Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers' Trade Unions, 'the government insists on its imposed ideological teachings, neglects Article 30 of the Constitution and free education, holds teachers' lives and livelihoods hostage, and has turned the education system into its political and security base.' He pointed out the collusion of security forces and the judiciary to suppress activists, arrest them, and issue judicial sentences against them, particularly in Fars province, stating, 'In just one day, 34 years of prison sentences were issued for 8 activists from Fars, which is unprecedented in history.' Lotfi referred to Zahra Esfandiari, Mojgan Bagheri, Asghar Amirzadegan, Abdolrazagh Amiri, Iraj Rahnama, Gholamreza Gholami-Kandazi, Mohammad Ali Zahmatkesh, and Afshin Razmjou, who were collectively sentenced to 34 years in prison by the Islamic Revolutionary Court. The spokesperson for the Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers' Trade Unions remarked, 'Doesn't this indicate the preference of naked force over reason and rationality?' He also mentioned that the arrest and execution of the sentences against Rahnama and Gholami-Kandazi occurred while they were seeking permission to hold a general assembly for the election of the Fars Teachers' Trade Association in accordance with Article 26 of the Constitution. In this context, Lotfi emphasized that the Administrative Justice Court had annulled the ruling against the activists from Fars in the appellate court and referred it for reconsideration to an equivalent branch. Eskandar Lotfi called for the immediate suspension of the previous ruling and the release of imprisoned teachers until a new ruling is issued, adding, 'Nevertheless, security forces have prevented the release of these two teachers under various pretexts and have ignored the demands of the people and educators across Iran up to this moment.' He added that 'as time passes and the physical condition of these two union activists worsens, the concerns of their families and the educational community are increasing, and with the intensification of concerns and the lack of attention from the relevant authorities to the situation of these imprisoned teachers, we will certainly witness protests and street demonstrations by teachers, particularly those from Fars province.' Lotfi also stated that 'the Coordinating Council calls on civil and independent union activists, as well as international organizations, labor unions, and human rights groups, to be the voice of Iraj Rahnama and Gholamreza Gholami-Kandazi and to condemn the suppression of activists by the government, demanding the unconditional release of imprisoned activists.' In recent years, the Islamic Republic's security and judicial confrontations with teachers, labor activists, and retirees have intensified. This escalation of confrontations has been a response to the growing protests of teachers, workers, and retirees. These confrontations have, in turn, drawn severe criticism from trade unions worldwide.