Ismail Abdi Banned from Leaving the Country Due to 'File Fabrication by the IRGC' Against Labor Activists

Ismail Abdi, a teacher and labor rights activist, has been banned from leaving the country following a complaint by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Faramarz Khodashenas, Abdi's lawyer, announced that this issue was initially communicated to him at the Central Passport Office in Tehran and later confirmed in court. The Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers' Trade Unions stated in a Telegram channel that Ismail Abdi had previously been sentenced to 8 years and 8 months in prison for defending teachers' rights. This well-known labor activist was freed after the Administrative Justice Court annulled his sentence and he posted a heavy bail of 2 billion tomans. However, Abdi's freedom was short-lived, and he is now once again facing restrictions and pressure due to new charges fabricated by the IRGC. This cultural organization noted that Abdi, as one of the activists in the teachers' labor movement, has always been subjected to security pressures and systematic repression. It emphasized that these actions continue while the government attempts to silence the voices of aware and fighting teachers through file fabrication, heavy bail, and multiple restrictions. Previously, the Tehran Teachers' Trade Association condemned the 'project to suppress teacher labor activists' and denounced the dismissal and expulsion of Ismail Abdi, a board member of this association. This labor organization pointed out that 'the perpetrator of this disgraceful incident is a government that came to power with promises of changing policies and reforming education.' It added that 'in the short time since the establishment of the Pezeshkian government, in addition to Ismail Abdi, teachers in other provinces and students from the Teacher Training University and Shahid Rajaei University have also faced expulsion and prohibition from studying and teaching.' The Tehran Teachers' Trade Association noted that the expulsion of Abdi 'is part of the continuation of violence against teachers and the disregard for their legal rights, and it demonstrates the political elite's inability to solve societal problems and accept teachers' criticisms and demands; the expulsions are, in reality, an effort to silence dissenting voices.' In recent years, administrative, security, and judicial actions against teachers and their labor activists have intensified. These actions have faced criticism from labor unions and trade organizations worldwide.