Iranian Teachers' Union Protests 'Suppression of Teachers' by Government Security Agencies

The Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers' Trade Unions protested what it called the 'continued suppression of teachers in various cities by security agencies under the government.' In a statement released on Wednesday, February 1, it described the 'security crackdown' on protesting teachers in Lorestan, Isfahan, and other parts of Iran as indicative of 'the suppression of teachers through various methods and tricks,' stating that this reflects the ongoing 'illegal arrests, exiles, and dismissals that have been inflicted on teachers in this land for years.' Previously, the Teachers' Trade Union of Tehran Province had reported on January 18 the temporary detention of 'a limited number of teachers and retirees.' The Coordinating Council highlighted the two-week detention of two educators from Aligudarz by security forces during nationwide protests in about 100 cities in Iran last month, noting that they were released on bail. However, the council pointed out that 'the crackdown did not stop, and one school administrator was summoned by phone to the Aligudarz Intelligence Department, where he was beaten and later released after several hours of detention.' According to this teachers' union, 'the Aligudarz Education Department instead of pursuing this violation of dignity, revoked his appointment.' In this context, the Teachers' Trade Union's Telegram channel reported that 'Mojtaba Hasanvand, the security chief of the Aligudarz Education Department, referred to the protesters as rioters in an official meeting with school administrators, which was protested by one of the school principals.' The report continued, 'One day after this meeting, this principal was summoned to the Aligudarz Intelligence Department and was beaten and verbally abused after interrogation, and his management position was revoked by Firooz Zolqi, the head of the department in this city.' The Teachers' Trade Union also stated that 'according to reports and follow-ups, it has become clear that the revocation of this principal's appointment was coordinated with the provincial education director and ordered by the Minister of Education himself.' Officials from the Ministries of Intelligence and Education have not responded to these allegations one day after the reports from these two teachers' unions. Meanwhile, the Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers' Trade Unions, strongly criticizing such 'extralegal behaviors,' called on the Ministry of Education officials to react appropriately to these security behaviors and to use all their power to 'stop these methods of suppression.' The council also addressed security and judicial agencies, stating: 'How is it that you cannot prevent the escape of looters of public funds and thieves of pension funds and the teachers' reserve fund, but you resort to suppression against the civil demands of the people and teachers of this land, who are also your children? You arrest them illegally, imprison them contrary to the law, exile them, and dismiss them through influence?' The Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers' Trade Unions also announced that it expects the government and the Ministry of Education to take appropriate measures to prevent the continuation of this trend and 'not allow security agencies to compensate for their weak behaviors in other areas by suppressing teachers and not allow the country's interests to be threatened due to their illegal decisions.' Currently, Ismail Abdi, Mohsen Omrani, and Mokhtar Asadi, members of the Teachers' Trade Union, are imprisoned, Ali Akbar Baghaani, another member of this union, is in exile, and Mohammad Beheshti Langaroudi, the spokesperson for this trade union, is on leave. Earlier, the Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers' Trade Unions had stated that the nationwide protests in about 100 cities in late January were a result of the 'mismanagement of government officials and the three branches of power,' and that the people of Iran protested in recent street demonstrations against 'the poor economic and living conditions, discrimination and systemic corruption, poverty, and class divide.' Over the years, activists and teachers' rights organizations have repeatedly criticized the policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran's governments regarding education and teachers through statements and gatherings in Tehran and other cities. Among these criticisms is the demand from some teachers and teachers' rights activists for a 'fair budget' for education, which means 'the necessary budget to provide free and quality education for all Iranian students and also to allocate a fair wage for both active and retired teachers in the country.'