Teacher Summoned on Charges of 'Conspiracy'; Mohammad Habibi: I Have Already Been Tried for This Case

The spokesperson for the Teachers' Trade Association of Tehran was summoned to the second branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Shahriyar to 'defend' against charges of 'conspiracy and collusion' against the internal and external security of the Islamic Republic. Mohammad Habibi, a teachers' rights activist, published a picture on Sunday, July 3, of the notification issued on Saturday by the second branch of the Revolutionary Court of Shahriyar on the social media platform X, which requested him to appear in this branch by July 9. This summons is for obtaining the defense of this teachers' rights activist against the charge of 'conspiracy and collusion to commit a crime against internal and external security.' Mohammad Habibi wrote: 'I have been summoned to court for a case I have already been tried for.' According to this civil activist, the mentioned case relates to his arrest last April during 'protests against the serial poisonings in schools.' Mr. Habibi emphasized: 'While the perpetrators of those incidents have never been held accountable, people like me, Zia Nabavi, and Hasti Amiri must pay for our rightful protests.' Additionally, Zia Nabavi and Hasti Amiri, student activists, have been imprisoned. Mohammad Habibi was arrested in April 2023 by the intelligence agents of the Islamic Republic and was released in late May after a bail was issued from Ward 209 of Evin Prison, which belongs to the Ministry of Intelligence. The court mentioned by Mohammad Habibi was held in January 2024 at the Revolutionary Court of Shahriyar. The poisoning of students in predominantly girls' schools began in winter 2023 and continued for months across Iran. This incident, despite endangering the lives of thousands of students, was ultimately attributed to a 'foul-smelling bomb.' In a report by the Ministry of Intelligence regarding the cause of the poisonings, while hundreds of students were hospitalized across Iran, it was emphasized that the 'illness' of the students was due to 'joking and feigning' and pursued 'anti-security goals.' In contrast, protests against the serial poisonings of students and the negligence towards dealing with the perpetrators and instigators of those events took place, and several civil activists and teachers were arrested.