The Condition of a Teacher in Evin Deteriorates; Court Hearing for Four Teachers Charged with Propaganda Against the Regime

The Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers' Trade Unions reported the deteriorating health of Jaafar Ebrahimi, a imprisoned teacher, due to gastrointestinal issues, as well as the court hearing for four retired teachers in the third branch of the Revolutionary Court in Rasht on charges of propaganda against the regime. According to this council's report, on Saturday, August 12, 2023, the court session for Mr. Gholamreza Akbarzadeh Baghan, retired Timour Bagheri, Hossein Mahdizadeh, and Tahmasb Sohrabi was held. Based on a report published on the council's Telegram channel, the charges against these individuals were related to the content of statements from the Gilan Teachers' Trade Association and resolutions from the Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers' Trade Unions, which 'security officials presented as documents of propaganda against the regime.' The Coordination Council also reported the deteriorating health of Jaafar Ebrahimi, a imprisoned teacher, due to gastrointestinal problems resulting from a lack of specialized medical care. The council emphasized that the medication prescribed by the prison's specialist doctor is 'conditional on use in isolated conditions, which are not available in prison.' Accordingly, given this critical situation, forensic medicine has declared the necessity of Ebrahimi's immediate release from prison, but according to the council, prison officials are ignoring the need for treatment of this union activist by sending his case to 'the commission and failing to respond.' Jaafar Ebrahimi, an inspector for the Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers' Trade Unions, has been deprived of medical leave since May of last year despite his illness and is serving his sentence in Evin prison. Improving living conditions, proper implementation of the ranking plan, preventing the privatization of schools, and providing suitable and free educational facilities for all are among the demands of protesting teachers in Iran. Following the increase in professional protests, security pressures on civil activists and a wave of summons and arrests of teachers, workers, and civil activists have intensified. United Nations reporters and human rights organizations consider such arrests to be 'arbitrary' and have repeatedly called on Iranian officials to respect the right to peaceful assembly. Continued judicial actions against teachers; the secretary of the Khuzestan Teachers' Trade Association has been summoned, confirmation of a six-year prison sentence for a union activist; Sara Siyahpour: they are taking 'vengeance' from teachers, six years in prison for a teacher; a campaign of 100,000 signatures for the release of imprisoned teachers has begun, continued security and judicial actions against teachers; the situation of detainees is unclear, gatherings of teachers in 22 cities; strike of railway workers in Kerman and employees of Behesht Zahra.