Sentencing and Asset Seizure of Four Members of the Teachers' Trade Union in Bushehr Province

On Thursday, October 6, the Teachers' Trade Union of Bushehr Province announced the issuance of a total of four years and four months of imprisonment for four of its members. According to the union's Telegram channel, in a court notification marked 'confidential', Mahmoud Malaki and Mohsen Omrani were each sentenced to 'two years of punitive imprisonment, seizure of confiscated assets in favor of the government, and a three-year ban on educational activities in academic environments'. Additionally, Abdolreza Amani Far and Asghar Hajib were each sentenced to four months of punitive imprisonment and 'seizure of confiscated assets in favor of the government'. The Teachers' Trade Union of Bushehr Province condemned the issued sentences and stated that it will continue its legal activities to achieve the rightful demands of students and educators in Bushehr Province seriously. This union added that it will soon publish a detailed report on the status of the cases of its members, especially Mahmoud Malaki, a teacher and inspector of this union. In August, the union had also announced that the Ministry of Education's Disciplinary Review Board confirmed the 'permanent dismissal and expulsion' of Mahmoud Malaki. Currently, Mahmoud Malaki is serving a one-year prison sentence in Bushehr Central Prison. In addition to Mahmoud Malaki, Aziz Qasemzadeh, Jafar Ebrahimi, Mahmoud Sedighi Pour, Anoush Adeli, Mehdi Fathi, Hashem Khwastaar, Rasool Badaghi, Ismail Abdi, Asghar Amirzadegan, Nahid Shirpish, Zeinab Hamrang, and Javad Laleh Mohammadi have been sentenced to prison on security charges in the courts of the Islamic Republic. Additionally, several other teachers and their union activists, such as Sara Siyahpour, have received prison sentences, while others have faced administrative actions and have been deprived of the ranking plan. Human rights and labor organizations worldwide have criticized these actions. In this regard, the Education International Federation has also called for the release of all imprisoned teachers in Iran.