International Mother Language Day and Pressure on Teachers; A Human Rights Organization: 8 Kurdish Language Teachers Were Arrested Last Year

On the occasion of International Mother Language Day, the Hengaw Human Rights Organization reported the arrest of 8 Kurdish language teachers and the sentencing of 5 teachers to imprisonment and flogging in the past year. According to Hengaw, the judiciary of the Islamic Republic has sentenced 5 Kurdish language teachers, including Idris Manbari, Siwan Ebrahimi, Sarveh Pourmohammadi, Varhan Mohammadnejad, and Azad Amini, to a total of 36 years in prison and 80 lashes. This human rights organization condemned the 'language unity policy and the security approach to the Kurdish language and other languages' in Iran and called for the allegations against the detained activists to be addressed based on 'fair trial standards in a public court.' Meanwhile, the Iranian Writers' Association issued a statement on the occasion of 'International Mother Language Day' on February 21 (2 Esfand), stating that the mother tongue is part of 'freedom of expression' and that the 'prohibition of languages in educational, developmental, and expressive dimensions' constitutes a 'violation' of part of the human and civic rights of the people. This association, recalling the summons, imprisonment, and exile of several 'civil activists defending the mother tongue,' called for the release of all of them from 'harassment and pressures.' On the other hand, the Coordinating Council of Cultural Associations of Iran also defended the 'right to education in the mother tongue' in a statement, declaring that 'the continuation of a monolingual educational policy without regard to the linguistic perspectives of citizens' is 'unscientific, undemocratic, and completely wrong.' Based on a survey previously conducted by the Gaman Institute, 65% of the Iranian statistical community agreed with teaching the mother tongue alongside Persian in schools. The United Nations website, referencing International Mother Language Day, emphasized the role of languages in promoting inclusivity and achieving sustainable development goals, stating that multilingual education policies are crucial for inclusive education and the preservation of indigenous languages. Starting education in the mother tongue and gradually introducing other languages removes barriers between home and school and facilitates effective learning. Furthermore, multilingual education not only promotes inclusive communities but also helps preserve non-dominant, minority, and indigenous languages, laying the foundation for equitable access to education and lifelong learning opportunities for all individuals. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated February 21 (2 Esfand) as International Mother Language Day in 1999 to 'support linguistic and cultural diversity.' A decade later, in 2008, the United Nations General Assembly declared that year as the 'International Year of Languages' due to the importance of the issue. The execution of a one-year prison sentence for Siwan Ebrahimi, a Kurdish language teacher, in Sanandaj. Human rights sources: 13 Kurdish citizens were sentenced to a total of more than 34 years in prison. Three Kurdish civil activists were arrested in Sanandaj by security agencies. A document related to Zara Mohammadi was registered in the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.