The clerical regime puts more pressure on teachers through arrests, summonses, and expulsions. The Security Department and the Administrative Violations Board of the Ministry of Education have practically turned into the arms of security forces over the past year. They have concentrated all their efforts on baseless file-making for activist teachers to suppress their protests.
The Coordinating Council of Teachers’ Associations announced that the Violations Board of the Department of Education of Gilan Province had expelled Ms. Fariba Anami, a brave and well-respected teacher in Anzali, upon an unjust and oppressive order.
Fariba Anami has been teaching in high schools in Gilan and Anzali for over 25 years. She is one of the hundreds of activist teachers who have solely pursued the realization of their professional rights.
Currently, at least 16 freedom-loving teachers are imprisoned in various prisons. Among the charges against these teachers are meeting with the families of those killed during recent protests and sharing content in solidarity with the protests on social media.
Ms. Farzaneh Nazeranpour, a teacher residing in Tehran, is among the imprisoned teachers. In mid-March, she was sentenced to ten months in prison by Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran on charges of “propaganda against the state” and “disturbing public opinion.” After the Revision Court upheld the sentence, she was transferred to Evin Prison on May 2, 2023.
In addition to Farzaneh Nazeranpuor, two other female teachers named Atekeh Rajabi and Fatemeh Tadrisi, were arrested and imprisoned on May 9, 2023. Atekeh Rajabi is currently on a hunger strike.
Furthermore, Ahvaz’s Public and Revolutionary Court has indicted eleven teachers in Khuzestan province. The defense attorney of these teachers has stated that the charges against them include “membership in groups aimed at undermining national security” and “propaganda activities against the Islamic Republic system.” Kowkab Badaghi and Zahra Bakhtiyari, two female teachers, are among the teachers in Khuzestan who have received indictments.
