The Administrative Court of Justice in Iran has upheld the dismissal of Somayeh Akhtarshomar, an English teacher from Marivan, Kurdistan Province.
The court ruling, issued on April 27, 2025, rejected Akhtarshomar’s appeal against a prior decision by the Ministry of Education’s Board of Appeals.
Her dismissal was initially ordered in March 2024 by the Primary Disciplinary Committee for Government Employees in Kurdistan Province. The Ministry’s Appeals Board reaffirmed the decision in October 2024.
According to official documents, Mrs. Akhtarshomar faces a series of politically and socially charged accusations. These include “spreading insulting content and false information against the state,” “membership in unauthorized teachers’ unions and online groups,” and “posting protest-related content in digital forums associated with teachers in Marivan, Sarvabad, and across Iran.”
One of the more controversial allegations is that she included messages supportive of protesters in the English exam questions she designed.
Her online activities were also scrutinized and cited in the case. The charges include “sharing unveiled photos of herself,” “posting photos of unveiled students,” “reposting content related to opposition political groups,” and “publishing images of her child wearing clothes and symbols associated with banned political parties.”
Somayeh Akhtarshomar, born in 1987, is married and has 17 years of experience teaching English in Iran’s public education system.
