Kowkab Badaghi, a prominent advocate for teachers’ rights, has been suspended from her teaching position for four months in Izeh, a city in Iran’s Khuzestan Province.
This suspension, issued by the Ministry of Education’s Disciplinary Committee, marks the second time Ms. Badaghi has faced such a penalty.
On August 12, 2024, a reliable source confirmed that Kowkab Badaghi had been suspended again due to her involvement in a WhatsApp group associated with a teachers’ union, her collaboration with the Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers’ Associations, and her online activism supporting individuals labeled as “security convicts.”
These activities were deemed unacceptable by the authorities. Kowkab Badaghi Pegah, who is from Izeh, is a close friend of Zeynab Molaei Rad, the mother of Kian Pirfalak, a young victim of government violence.
Recently, a source close to the Pirfalak family reported that government agents had searched Badaghi’s home and workplace, confiscated her personal and electronic devices, and even conducted physical searches on her students.
The agents threatened the students, warning them not to discuss the incident and hinting at severe consequences if they did. The source also revealed that Kowkab Badaghi and Molaei-Rad have been denied access to internet-connected devices for a long time, leaving them without even basic phones.
Molaei-Rad, who was also a teacher, was barred from her profession after her son was killed during a government crackdown on November 16, 2022.
Despite these challenges, Ms. Badaghi continues to attend school despite having no means of communication. Her social media accounts on Instagram and Telegram were abruptly deactivated some time ago.
