Intensification of Security Atmosphere Against Teachers; At Least 80 Teachers Deprived of Ranking Law

Simultaneously with the protest of the Coordinating Council of Teachers' Trade Unions against the intensification of administrative, security, and judicial pressures on teachers' union activists, the Ham-Mihan newspaper reported that at least 80 teachers have been deprived of the ranking law in the past year. According to the report published on Wednesday, September 8, several teachers' union activists have faced unprecedented punishments such as suspension and forced retirement due to pursuing union demands, including online activities. Some teachers have been removed from the ranking due to their participation in protests in front of education offices, their union activities online, and their objections to the poisoning of students, facing penalties such as early retirement, dismissal, or even imprisonment. Reza Morad Sahraei, the Minister of Education, criticized what he called 'disorder' and 'neglect' in the virtual space in July of this year, stating that 'something needs to be done' regarding teachers' presence in the virtual space. According to reports, cultural activists have described the current confrontations as unprecedented, emphasizing the increasing 'security' nature of the environment. Recently, dozens of educators expressed their objections to their deprivation from the ranking plan in an open letter, lamenting the 'security perspective' of the government towards teachers' union activities. At the same time, the Coordinating Council of Teachers' Trade Unions of Iran issued a statement protesting the 'unjust' permanent dismissal of Aziz Qasemzadeh, a board member of the Gilan Teachers' Trade Association, from public employment. This trade union has stated that 'arrests and imprisonment, permanent dismissal, early retirement, dismissal from service, and deprivation of social benefits for union activists and teachers' lead to 'deprivation of students from education and the stripping of their material and cultural lives.' The Gilan Teachers' Trade Association has also protested the permanent dismissal of Aziz Qasemzadeh and Fariba Anami, as well as the forced retirement sentences with group deductions for Zahra Sayyad Delshadpour, Mansoureh Sarafraz, Ashraf Farahmai, and Lida Ismaili. The Coordinating Council of Teachers' Trade Unions of Iran has consistently emphasized that coercive measures and the policy of 'victory through fear' will not divert union activists from pursuing their legal demands. Aziz Qasemzadeh, a prominent cultural activist, was permanently dismissed by the Ministry of Education. Sara Siyahpour was also dismissed from the Ministry of Education after receiving a six-year prison sentence. The continued dismissal of protesting teachers; the Coordinating Council of Teachers' Trade Unions: Protests continue.