Several Arrested in Teachers' Protests; 11 Teachers Summoned to the Revolutionary Court of Khuzestan

Reports from Iran indicate the arrest of several teachers and teacher union activists, as well as the summons of 11 of them to the Revolutionary Court in Ahvaz. The Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers' Trade Unions reported that Farzad Safikhampour, a sociology teacher and union activist, was arrested by security police during a protest in Sanandaj on Tuesday. According to this report, he informed his family in a phone call that he would be referred to the prosecutor's office on Wednesday. The Hengaw Human Rights Organization also reported the arrest of Fatih Osmani, a teacher, in Sanandaj, stating that he and Mr. Safikhampour were arrested by "government forces along with beatings and transferred to an unknown location." The Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers' Trade Unions also announced that Atakeh Rajabi, a teacher who has been on strike since October 2 in protest against the "government murder of students," was expelled and repeatedly threatened. She was arrested on Tuesday after leaving her home to attend a teachers' protest in Mashhad. The council strongly condemned the arrest of Ms. Rajabi and the ongoing violent actions against teachers, demanding her release and that of other imprisoned teachers. The council also reported that security forces raided Atakeh Rajabi's home, disrupting the house and arresting Razieh (Arzoo Rajabi), her sister. Currently, several teachers and teacher union activists, such as Ismail Abdi, Rasool Badaghi, Jafar Ebrahimi, Mohammad Habibi, Masoud Farhikhteh, and Hashem Khastar, are detained on security charges or are serving prison sentences. Farzaneh Zilabi, a lawyer for the members of the Khuzestan Teachers' Trade Union, announced on Tuesday the summons of 11 of them to the Revolutionary Court in Ahvaz. Ms. Zilabi stated in an interview with Emtehad, affiliated with the United National Party, that these teachers and members of the Khuzestan Teachers' Trade Union were summoned "following the indictment issued by the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor's Office of Ahvaz on charges of propaganda against the regime and membership in opposition groups for the consideration of the attributed charges in court." She added that following this summons, Pirouz Nami, the secretary of the Khuzestan Teachers' Trade Union and a member of the Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers' Trade Unions, and Kokab Badaghi, Siamak Sadeqi Chehraz, Ali Kuroshati, Iqbal Tameradi, Sadegh Naseri, Zahra Bakhtiari, Shahryar Shirvani Nia, Moein Zargani, Behnia Bahmei Nejad, and Emad Rafiei appointed her as their lawyer. According to Farzaneh Zilabi, the summons of these 11 teachers and union activists occurred following their union protests, which "inevitably" coincided with protests after the death of Mahsa Amini in custody of the morality police and the serial poisoning of students. According to this report, based on the report from the Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Khuzestan, two cases with multiple security and non-security charges have been filed against these 11 individuals. Ms. Zilabi noted that the hearing date for her clients' case was set for May 7, coinciding with Teacher's Week, but was postponed to June 17 due to the judge being on leave. She also told Emtehad that regardless of "minor and major formal and substantive objections to the charges, the reports of security agents and the investigation process in the case, the framework of the activities of the Teachers' Trade Union and the Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers' Trade Unions is clearly defined and evident with the approved charter and defined demands." Farzaneh Zilabi emphasized: "Fabricating false charges against the Teachers' Trade Union and the Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers' Trade Unions as groups whose goal is to disrupt the security of the country is a result of the incompetence and misguided thinking of those who may, out of necessity, divert issues through file fabrication to solve the problems created." She expressed hope that ultimately this case would lead to a verdict of acquittal in favor of her clients. These remarks from the lawyer were published at a time when the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Workers' Syndicate announced that a hearing for Farzaneh Zilabi's case would be held on Wednesday, May 10, in Branch 113 of the Criminal Court of Ahvaz, on charges of spreading falsehoods. Previously, on April 17 of this year, a hearing for another case of Ms. Zilabi was held in Branch 4 of the Revolutionary Court of Ahvaz. Her charges in this case include propaganda against the Islamic Republic, conspiracy and collusion to commit a crime against national security, insulting the leadership, and membership in opposition groups. According to the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Workers' Syndicate, this case was opened due to "accepting the representation of individuals during the Woman, Life, Freedom movement." According to this report, the previous case against Farzaneh Zilabi for representing Haft Tappeh sugarcane workers is still ongoing. The Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Workers' Syndicate condemned the summons of Ms. Zilabi as a "brave and honest lawyer for the Haft Tappeh workers," demanding an end to the fabrication of cases against her. Teachers' protests are taking place in several provinces of Iran coinciding with the anniversary of the execution of Farzad Kamangar. "Imprisoned teachers must be freed"; the slogan of teachers at the protest on May 8 in Rasht. The demand for the release of imprisoned teachers was raised at the protest of educators in front of the Education Ministry in Shush. Teachers in Kermanshah demanded the release of imprisoned teachers in Iran during the protest on May 8. Protests by teachers were held in 22 cities; strikes by railway workers in Kerman and employees of Behesht Zahra. Protests by teachers are taking place in several provinces of Iran. Some detained teachers and labor activists have been released on heavy bails.