Five-Year Prison Sentence for Spokesman of Teachers' Trade Association Confirmed

Relatives of Mahmoud Beheshti Langaroudi, the imprisoned spokesman of the Teachers' Trade Association, say that the Iranian judiciary has confirmed a recent five-year prison sentence for this labor activist. Mr. Beheshti is currently serving a previous sentence in Evin Prison; according to his son, his total sentence now amounts to 14 years with this new ruling. Abouzar Beheshti Langaroudi stated in an interview with Radio Farda that the five-year sentence recently confirmed by the judiciary relates to Mr. Beheshti's arrest in September 2015. He noted that the spokesman of the Teachers' Trade Association has three previous arrests in 2004, 2006, and 2010, for which he received a four-year suspended sentence and a five-year punitive sentence, bringing his total sentence to 14 years. The suspended sentence relates to his arrest in March 2007, and this labor activist received a five-year prison sentence after being arrested for protesting the situation of another imprisoned teacher, Rasoul Badaghi, in 2011. Mr. Beheshti's son told Radio Farda that the charges repeated in the indictments against this labor activist include conspiracy against national security and propaganda against the regime. He reminded that his father has been involved in labor activities since 1999, and his activities have been entirely labor-related and have not gone beyond the scope of labor activism. The Islamic Republic's institutions often do not recognize labor activities, and many professions in Iran are effectively deprived of having unions. Iranian security and law enforcement forces severely confront labor activists and gatherings, and numerous labor activists from various professions have been repeatedly arrested and imprisoned in the country. On September 3 of this year, two international labor and teachers' unions jointly criticized the crackdown on labor activists in Iran. A few days ago, teachers' trade associations in various regions of Iran sent a letter to Hassan Rouhani, requesting him to form a committee to investigate the 'violation of rights' of labor activists and defend them, while also asking him to prevent the Ministry of Intelligence's complaint against Mahmoud Beheshti Langaroudi, the imprisoned spokesman of the Teachers' Trade Association. The letter's authors stated that the Iranian teachers' community has 'almost lost hope' in the judiciary due to the heavy sentences issued against labor activists but is waiting to see practical actions from the President 'against the violation of the rights of labor activists and to defend their civil activities.' Mr. Beheshti himself recently stated in a letter, referring to his ten-minute trial without the presence of a lawyer, that some judges are merely 'signers of sentences that have been communicated to them by security forces' instead of delivering fair judgments. Last week, the spokesman for the Iranian judiciary claimed that Mahmoud Beheshti was sentenced to five years in prison for 'security crimes.' Despite the passage of the 'political crime' law in Iran, Islamic Republic officials continue to use the term 'security charges' regarding the accusations against political activists, journalists, and imprisoned labor activists, and some judiciary officials have also stated that they do not recognize political crimes.