Statement with 700 Signatures: The Lives of Imprisoned Teachers Iraj Rahnama and Gholamreza Gholami are at Risk

Hundreds, including teachers and teacher union activists in Iran, issued a statement warning that the lives of two imprisoned teachers, Iraj Rahnama and Gholamreza Gholami, are in danger due to their hunger strike. The statement noted that after widespread gatherings of educators in Fars province in recent years and the opening of a new chapter of union demands, the officials of the Fars Teachers' Association have incurred significant costs due to this cohesion and unity. The statement has been signed by at least 700 individuals, including Abolfazl Rahimi Shad, Ismail Abdi, Mostafa Rabati, Sara Siyahpour, Mohsen Omrani, Koukb Badaghi Pega, Touran Soleimani, Saeed Kord Karimi, Kamal Hosseini, Zeinab Parsa, Ali Hassan Bahamin, Khadijeh Mobaraki, and Soraya Aghaei. Other signatories include Fatemeh Bahmani, Mohammad Kord, Shokrallah Ahmadi, Behnam Mohammadi, Zhila Kheir, Asghar Amirzadegan, Sohrab Amiri, Hamed Mousavi, Reza Parsaee, Gahraman Kiani, Iman Shahvandi, Jan Mohammad Ahmadi, Ali Ahmadi, and Mahnaz Ebrahimi. The signatories added that 'the reward for their courage, audacity, and perseverance after years of activity within the framework of the Constitution has been unjust, heavy sentences and long-term imprisonments.' They referred to Iraj Rahnama and Gholamreza Gholami, two teacher union activists in the province, who have been sentenced to 5 and 11 years in prison, respectively. Reports indicate that Mr. Rahnama and Mr. Gholami began their hunger strike on January 13 in protest against 'unjust sentences' from the court. The signatories expressed that given the physical and age conditions of these two imprisoned union activists and the memories arising from hunger strikes, their families and union activists are extremely worried. The statement urged judicial authorities to accept the demands of Iraj Rahnama and Gholamreza Gholami to end their hunger strike and to 'review the cases of active teachers in Fars province fairly and without a security and political perspective as soon as possible.' The signatories concluded that 'if judicial authorities ignore this, any danger or harm to the lives of these demanding and rights-seeking teachers will be blamed on the judiciary.' In recent years, the Islamic Republic's security and judicial actions against teachers, workers, and retirees have intensified. This escalation has been a reaction to the growing protests of teachers, workers, and retirees. These actions have, in turn, drawn severe criticism from trade unions worldwide.