Final Trial Session of Koukb Badaghi, Teacher and Labor Activist, Held Without Her Chosen Lawyer

The Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers' Trade Unions reported that the final defense session for Koukb Badaghi, a teacher and labor activist, was held in Branch 13 of the Revolutionary Court of Khuzestan without the presence of her chosen lawyer, Farzaneh Zilabi. According to the report, Ms. Badaghi had requested to use her selected lawyer, but the court stated that she could only use lawyers approved by the judiciary, which the labor activist opposed. The council noted that the charges against this labor activist include security-related issues, mainly linked to teachers' union activities, trade unions, and the Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers, including 'participation in union gatherings and recent issues such as the poisoning of school students' following protests over the death of Mahsa Amini. The Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers' Trade Unions also mentioned that a bail of one billion tomans was set for Ms. Badaghi's temporary release, which was secured with the help of a colleague. This national teachers' organization condemned such judicial actions and emphasized the right to use chosen lawyers and the right to freedom of union activities. The council also reported on the interrogation of Reza Sharifeh, a teachers' labor activist, and his son, Armin Sharifeh, a labor activist, by agents of the Sanandaj Intelligence Office. It had previously been reported that agents of the Sanandaj Intelligence Office raided Reza Sharifeh's home, conducting searches and seizing electronic devices belonging to the teacher and his son. According to this report, security forces of the Islamic Republic have recently raided the homes of more than 10 labor activists in Sanandaj and confiscated their communication devices. The Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers' Trade Unions strongly condemned this action and called for an end to illegal pressures on labor and union activists. In recent months, security and judicial actions against labor and union activists have intensified. In this context, one can refer to the confirmation of a six-month and one-day prison sentence for Mohammad Habibi, spokesperson for the Tehran Teachers' Trade Association, by Branch 36 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran. This sentence was issued in connection with Mr. Habibi's protests against the serial poisoning of students in schools. In this regard, the Tehran Teachers' Trade Association issued a protest statement against this ruling, fully supporting its spokesperson's positions, stating that the confirmation of this prison sentence, the issuance of a dismissal order for Ismail Abdi after about nine years in prison, the continuation of case fabrications against labor and civil activists, and the obstruction of the return to work of some teachers whose dismissal or suspension orders were overturned by the Administrative Justice Court, all indicate the ongoing rigidity that has settled in the power institutions and constantly reminds us that things are not going to change. This labor organization pointed out that these power institutions are tirelessly working with their sharp axes to completely sever the thin threads of connection between the oppressed nation and the government. Protests by retirees in Kermanshah: 'Imprisoned teacher must be freed' Dismissal of Ismail Abdi on World Teachers' Day; National Council of Educators emphasized the creation of new organizations Summoning and interrogating 14 teachers and union activists in Kurdistan Province Continued reactions to the killing of dozens of workers in Tabas; Tehran Teachers' Trade Association demanded clear accountability from officials The Administrative Justice Court confirmed the dismissal of Mohammad Hossein Sepahri from the Ministry of Education Uncertainty for three political detainees in Sheyban Prison in Ahvaz; they are deprived of access to a lawyer French unions called for the release of imprisoned labor and union activists in Iran.