In the midst of a fragile ceasefire following the twelve-day war and ongoing crises of livelihood, water shortages, and frequent power and water outages—all signs of the systemic inefficiency of the established power-holding institutions—which disrupt the daily lives of millions of Iranians, the government, in its characteristic style of governance, seeks solutions not through wisdom and reason but through suppression, arrests, and the issuance of prison sentences.

Statement from the CCITTA condemning the Ongoing Repression of Teachers and the Sentences Issued Against Activists in Kerman Province

As the country remains unsafe from the consequences of a fragile ceasefire after a twelve-day war, and ongoing crises of livelihood, water shortages, and frequent power and water outages—all signs of the systemic inefficiency of the established power-holding institutions—disrupt the daily lives of millions of Iranians, the government, in its characteristic style of governance, seeks solutions not through wisdom and reason, but through suppression, arrests, and the issuance of prison sentences.

Instead of tackling the accumulated economic, political, cultural, and social crises and choosing a rational, democratic path based on the will of the oppressed people to resolve these enormous, fabricated crises and prevent a devastating war, we have witnessed a new wave of political, ideological, guild, and civil summonses and arrests in recent weeks. This is an undemocratic path with seemingly no intention of being reviewed or aligned with the people’s will.

In recent days, eight retired teachers and guild activists from Kerman Province have been handed unjust prison sentences. These sentences were issued solely for their trade union demands, their defense of teachers’ rights, and their pursuit of educational demands for the children of this land.

Based on the indictment issued by the Kerman Revolutionary Court and citing a report from the Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Majid Naderi, Hossein Rashidi Zarandi, and Mohammadreza Behzadpour have each been sentenced to one year of enforceable prison time, while Fatemeh Yazdani, Mitra Nikpour, Zahra Azizi, Leila Afshar, and Shahnaz Rezaei Sharifabadi have each been sentenced to six months of enforceable prison time.

In this report, the peaceful guild gatherings of these colleagues are described as “illegal,” without an explanation of how the people of Iran can protest the current critical situation without facing security measures, arrests, or judicial sentences.

Additionally, last week, Forough Khosravi, a primary school teacher in Behbahan, was arrested. Her family has not yet been informed of the reasons for her arrest or her whereabouts.

Alireza Mardasi, a teacher from Ahvaz who has been in temporary detention for nearly two years, has been sentenced to death without a fair and transparent trial and access to an independent lawyer.

Abdullah Momeni, a teacher and former political prisoner, has also been summoned to the prosecutor’s office with a new case in recent days, and it appears we should expect a new sentence for him.

Touran Soleimani, another guild activist from Khuzestan Province, who was summoned to the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office of Shush in recent months for her guild activities, has recently been handed an unjust sentence of a monetary fine.

Alongside these cases, many familiar names remain in prison due to their trade union or political activities, including:

Hashem Khastar

Javad Lalmohammadi

Asghar Amirzadegan

Mohammad Hassan Poureh

Abolfazl Khoran

Nahid Shirbisheh

Hossein Vahedi

Fatemeh Sepehri

Mohammad Hossein Sepehri

Aman Jalalinezhad

The Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations once again warns the government:

The continuation of this process of repression, fabricated cases, and judicial sentences against teachers and civil/guild activists will not deter us from our path of demanding rights. Instead, it will strengthen our resolve to pursue peaceful and civil resistance. We consider these sentences to be a sign of the failure of the policy of repression and a confirmation of the righteousness of our path of demanding rights and seeking justice.

The Coordinating Council demands the immediate cancellation of the unjust sentences issued against the Kerman activists, the cessation of illegal summonses and arrests of other teachers, and the unconditional release of all political and ideological prisoners, including imprisoned teachers.

We also call on all human rights organizations, associations, and activists inside and outside the country to join us in protesting the ongoing repression of activists in social movements—teachers, retirees, students, and women.

Global experience has shown that in such dangerous junctures, which have made us all concerned about the critical situation prevailing over the country and its people, what can be a salvation is social solidarity and the recreation of collective power.

The Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations

7 August 2025

Office

Central Executive Council