Prison Sentences for Educators in Fars Province; Court Held for 11 Teacher Activists in Khuzestan

Simultaneously with the issuance of sentences by the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Shiraz for 8 members of the teacher's union in Fars Province, a court session was held for 11 teacher activists in Khuzestan. Additionally, six teacher activists in Yazd and North Khorasan provinces were summoned to the Islamic Revolutionary Courts in Yazd and Bojnord. Teacher unions in Iran announced on Saturday that 6 members of the Fars Teachers' Association have been sentenced to a total of 30 years in prison, and two other members of this association have each been sentenced to two years in prison with an ankle bracelet. According to the report, the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Shiraz sentenced Abdolrazagh Amiri and Zahra Esfandiari to two years in prison with an ankle bracelet, while Iraj Rahnama, Afshin Razmjooei, Mojgan Bagheri, Gholamreza Gholami, Mohammad Ali Zahmatkesh, and Asghar Amirzadegan received five-year sentences. Furthermore, according to the Coordination Council of Teacher Unions in Iran, the court for 11 members of the Khuzestan Teachers' Association, named Pirouz Nami, Siamak Sadeqi Chehraz, Zahra Bakhtiari, Shahryar Shirvani Nia, Emad Rafiei Nejad, Ali Koroushati, Koukb Badaghi, Moein Zargani, Sadegh Naseri, Iqbal Tameradi, and Behnia Bahmei Nejad, was held on charges of 'propaganda activities against the regime and membership in groups aimed at undermining the country's security.' The legal representation of these activists was handled by Farzaneh Zilabi. It is also noted that Pirouz Nami is considered the first defendant and has likely incurred more wrath from security institutions than other members. The Coordination Council of Teacher Unions in Iran stated: 'Since last May, security institutions have drawn their sword against the unions and associations of teachers and are trying to extinguish the bright sun of teachers' demands by any means and with any baseless accusations.' The council referred to the detention of over 250 teacher activists since May 2022, adding that they have been arrested, imprisoned, expelled, exiled, and many have faced fabricated charges. The Coordination Council emphasized that coercive measures and the policy of 'victory through fear' have never been able to divert activists from pursuing their legal demands. Meanwhile, according to this union, six teacher activists in Yazd have been summoned to the Islamic Revolutionary Court of that city. The summoned activists include Hamideh Zareh Cheshmeh, Ahmad Changizi, Mansour Mirzaei, Mohammad Fakhr al-Hosseini, and Mehdi Kalantari. Additionally, Zahra Avaz Zadeh Moghadam, a member of the North Khorasan Teachers' Association, has been summoned to the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Bojnord for the third time this year. In recent years, alongside the expansion of protests by teachers, workers, and retirees, the security institutions of the Islamic Republic have intensified security and judicial actions against the activists and unions of teachers, workers, and retirees. Nevertheless, protests have continued during these years.