Several Detained Teachers from Thursday's Protest Transferred to Evin Prison

According to reports, at least six of the teachers detained during Thursday's protests were transferred to Evin Prison with "handcuffs and leg shackles." The Minister of Education of Iran described the gathering as "far from reason and fairness." The teachers' protest was organized in response to a call from the "Coordination Council of Teacher Trade Unions across the country" on Thursday, May 20, and took place in various cities in Iran, escalating to violence in Tehran and several other cities due to security forces' attacks on the protesters. A number of participants were also arrested. The Tehran protest occurred in front of the Organization for Planning and Budget, while in other cities it took place in front of education offices, with at least 15 people arrested in Tehran, five of whom were released after a few hours. A rights activist for teachers told Radio Farda that Mohammad Taghi Fallahi, the Secretary-General of the Teacher Trade Union of Tehran, as well as Rasoul Badaghi, Rahman Abedini, Ismail Gerami, Hossein Gholami, and Aliyeh Aghajani were transferred to Evin Prison. Additionally, a relative of Mohammad Habibi, a teacher rights activist, informed Radio Farda that there has been no information about his whereabouts or condition since his arrest. The website "Kalameh" also reported that the transfer of these five individuals to the Evin prosecutor's office was conducted "with handcuffs and leg shackles." In response to the crackdown on these protests and the arrest of demonstrators, the Coordination Council of Teacher Trade Unions of Iran issued a statement strongly condemning these actions. The council described the treatment of teachers in the capital as "an illegal and heinous event" and a "clear manifestation of the gap between words and actions" of the country's officials, asserting that "the rule of law and democracy that some officials claim in various forums is nothing more than an illusion." The statement added: "The May 20 gathering of teachers in Tehran, led by recognized trade unions from Tehran and Alborz provinces, like other provinces in the country, was a civil and peaceful protest action aimed at reviving the ailing education system and the suppressed rights of retired and active teachers across Iran, which turned into tension and conflict due to the organized attack by plainclothes and security forces." The council condemned the treatment of teachers and called for the release of detainees and a formal apology from officials to the educational community. The Teacher Trade Union of Tehran also emphasized in a statement that despite the protesters' refusal to leave the park near the Organization for Planning and Budget at the police's request, they were suddenly faced with an assault by plainclothes forces. The statement noted that during the Thursday protest in Tehran, several female teachers were "brutally beaten, and several male teachers, including three members of the Teacher Trade Union of Tehran and several other trade activists, were arrested." Meanwhile, Minister of Education Mohammad Bat'hayi tweeted that he is following up on the situation of the detained teachers. He also described the Thursday protests as "unauthorized" and "completely far from reason and fairness." A resolution issued at the teachers' protests on Thursday warned officials about the "continued disregard for the lives and livelihoods of retired and active teachers and the quality of education."