Fars Province Appeals Court Sentences 8 Teacher Union Activists to 37 Years in Prison

On Tuesday, November 2, the Coordination Council of Iranian Teacher Trade Unions reported that 8 activists and members of the Teacher Trade Association of Fars Province have been sentenced to a total of 37 years in prison by the province's appeals court. The names of these activists are Asghar Amirzadegan, Gholamreza Gholami, Mojgan Bagheri, Afshin Razmjooei, Iraj Rahnama, Mohammad Ali Zahmatkesh, Abdul Razzaq Amiri, and Zahra Esfandiari. According to this council, Afshin Razmjooei, Iraj Rahnama, Asghar Amirzadegan, and Mohammad Ali Zahmatkesh have been sentenced to 5 years in prison, a ban on social media activity, and a prohibition on leaving the country with passport cancellation for two years. Additionally, Mojgan Bagheri has been sentenced to two years in prison, a ban on social media activity, and a prohibition on leaving the country with passport cancellation for two years. The Fars Province Appeals Court also sentenced Zahra Esfandiari and Abdul Razzaq Amiri to two years in prison under electronic monitoring within a 1,000-meter radius from their residence, as well as a prohibition on leaving the country with passport cancellation and a ban on social media activity for two years. Furthermore, Gholamreza Gholami Khandazi has been sentenced to 5 years in prison for conspiracy against national security through participation in calls from opponents of the Islamic Republic, along with a ban on social media activity and leaving the country with passport cancellation for two years. The appeals court also sentenced this teacher union activist to five years in prison for membership in anti-regime groups, two years of compulsory residence in Birjand, and a ban on leaving the country with passport cancellation and a ban on social media activity for two years. Mr. Gholami Khandazi has also been sentenced to one year in prison for propaganda against the regime. Sattar Rahmani, a member of the Teachers' Union and a university professor in Britain, commented on the sentences issued against teacher union activists in Fars Province to Voice of America, stating, "I am not surprised that the regime has seized the opportunity and, as much as it can and conditions allow, is using this divine blessing, namely the war between Hamas and Netanyahu, to suppress teacher union activists, particularly the Coordination Council of Iranian Teacher Trade Unions." Mr. Rahmani added that "the regime has neither the intention to yield nor to compromise with protesters, including teachers." He noted that "the regime's think tank is looking for conditions to divert the political atmosphere in Iran and globally, which has been focused on Iran, to another direction to relieve itself from the nightmare of the 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement." He believes that "the regime has intensified its repression using this war atmosphere (Hamas and Netanyahu), which is rooted in the Islamic regime's governance and its proxy forces, with astronomical costs, and is controlling the space for public protests condemning government killings similar to those of Zhina, Mahsa Amini, and Armita Garavand, with maximum force to control the anger arising from poverty, misery, imprisonment, and the massacre of people for a few days." Sattar Rahmani adds that "teachers, with a nationwide organization and high potential for organizing protests, are a significant force, with 16 million students and their families, ready to protest, which has been a nightmare for the regime for years." According to him, "the regime and its think tank intend to erase the issue so that they can rid themselves of this nightmare and control protests from other sectors of society." Meanwhile, the Coordination Council of Iranian Teacher Trade Unions condemned the issuance of such sentences, stating that the regime's inability to meet the legitimate demands of protesters has led to widespread repression and a return to the 1980s. This council called for a united front of the people and activists from various fields against the regime's machinery of repression and added that the Islamic Republic has shown that it has no connection with Iranian society and no real plan to meet the people's needs. Teachers and their union activists have faced security and judicial actions from the Islamic Republic in recent years. These actions have intensified since last May when dozens of them were arrested. These actions have drawn widespread criticism from teachers' and labor unions worldwide.