Category: Labor and Guilds

Teacher Union Activist Iraj Toubaeiha Sentenced to Prison and Fine

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Freedom of Expression, Labor and Guilds, News
Iraj Toubaeiha, Isfahan, Najafabad, Najafabadi, ایرج توبه ایها

Iraj Toubaeiha (Najafabadi), a member of the Najafabad Teachers’ Trade Association, has been sentenced to two years in prison and fined by the Isfahan Appeals Court. This sentence follows a prior ruling where he was sentenced to six years in prison, two years of exile, and an additional fine in a separate part of his case.

According to the recent verdict from Branch 34, the two-year prison sentence and fine for Mr. Toubaeiha have been upheld. Earlier, Branch 102 of the Najafabad Criminal Court convicted him of “spreading false information with the intent to disturb public opinion,” resulting in a two-year prison term and a fine of 10 million Tomans.

In another part of his case, in May of this year, Toubaeiha was sentenced by Branch 102 of the Najafabad Revolutionary Court to six years of imprisonment, two years of exile, and a fine. This decision was later confirmed by Branch 37 of the Isfahan Appeals Court.

Toubaeiha has a history of previous arrests, having been detained for 35 days in the fall of 2022, 5 days in the spring of 2023, and 13 days in the fall of 2023.

Javad Azizi, Retiree Rights Activist, Arrested in Kermanshah

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Freedom of Expression, Labor and Guilds, News
Iranian Retirees Council, Javad Azizi, Kermanshah

On Sunday, September 8, Javad Azizi, a retired citizen and retiree rights activist in Kermanshah, was arrested by security forces and transferred to the Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facility, according to Iranian Retirees Council.

The report states that the arrest of the retiree rights activist took place at his private residence on Sunday, September 8, 2024, by security forces. During the arrest, the agents also confiscated Mr. Azizi’s mobile phone.

As of the time of this report, no information has been made available regarding the reasons for his arrest or the charges against him.

Mokhtar Asadi Arrested by Security Forces in Sanandaj

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Freedom of Expression, Labor and Guilds, News
Mokhtar Asadi, Sanandaj, مختار اسدی

Yesterday, August 19, Mokhtar Asadi, a teachers’ union activist residing in Sanandaj, was arrested after reporting to the Cyber Police and was transferred to an undisclosed location.

The day before his arrest, security forces searched Mr. Asadi’s home while he was not present.

As of the time of this report, no information is available regarding the reasons for his arrest or the charges against him.

This teachers’ union activist had previously been summoned and interrogated by the Ministry of Intelligence in Sanandaj on May 1.

Asadi has a history of arrests and judicial confrontations due to his union activities.

Appeals Court: Eight Teachers’ Union Activists Sentenced to Fines

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Freedom of Expression, Labor and Guilds, News
Ali Nahali, Aziz Ghasemzadeh, Gholamreza Akbarzadeh Baghban, Gilan, Jahanbakhsh Lajevardi, Mahmoud Sedighipour, Mohammad-Javad Saeedi, noush Adeli, Rasht, Tahmasb Sohrabi, Teymour Bagheri Koodakani, Yadollah Baharestani

The Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations reported that the prison sentences of Anoush Adeli, Aziz Ghasemzadeh, Teymour Bagheri Koodakani, Tahmasb Sohrabi, Gholamreza Akbarzadeh Baghban, Ali Nahali, Mohammad Javad Saeedi, and Jahanbakhsh Lajevardi, teachers’ union activists from Gilan Province, were converted to fines by Branch 29 of the Gilan Appeals Court. Additionally, Yadollah Baharestani and Mahmoud Sedighipour, two other defendants in the case, were acquitted of the charges against them.

Based on the recent ruling issued by Branch 29 of the Gilan Appeals Court and delivered to the activists, the two-year and one-day prison sentences for each of these teacher union activists have been converted to a fine of 3,300,000 tomans each. Meanwhile, Mahmoud Sedighipour and Yadollah Baharestani were acquitted of all charges.

Previously, Branch 3 of the Rasht Revolutionary Court had sentenced each of these individuals to two years and one day in prison, along with a two-year ban on membership in political and social parties, groups, and organizations for charges of “disrupting public order by participating in and organizing union gatherings and defying police orders.”

These activists, except for Mohammad Javad Saeedi, have previously faced legal actions due to their union activities.

Teachers’ Union Activist Mohammad Habibi Receives Six Months in Prison

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Freedom of Expression, Labor and Guilds, News
Evin Prison, mohammad habibi, Teachers union activist

Mohammad Habibi, spokesperson for the Tehran Teachers’ Trade Association, has been sentenced to six months and one day in prison by Branch 2 of the Shahriar Revolutionary Court.

Based on a verdict issued on July 21 by Branch 2 of the Shahriar Revolutionary Court and communicated to Mr. Habibi, he has been sentenced to six months and one day in prison for “propaganda against the regime.” The court session for addressing Mohammad Habibi’s charges was held on June 29 of this year in the aforementioned branch.

On April 5, 2023, Habibi was arrested at his workplace in Tehran by security agents due to his protest posts regarding the serial poisoning attacks on schools across the country. He was eventually released on May 20 of the same year from Ward 209 of Evin Prison after posting bail.

It is worth noting that this spokesperson for the Teachers’ Trade Association was previously arrested by security forces in Tehran on April 30, 2022, ahead of Teacher Appreciation Week in Iran and a protest gathering of educators. He was released from Evin Prison on February 8 of the following year.

In October 2022, he was sentenced by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court to three years and seven months in prison for “assembly and collusion against national security,” one year for “propaganda against the regime,” a two-year ban on activities and membership in groups, and a travel ban.

Habibi has a history of arrests and convictions due to his activities.

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Amjad Bakhtiari Sentenced to Imprisonment and Flogging

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Freedom of Expression, Labor and Guilds, News
Amjad Bakhtiari, Dehgolan, امجد بختیاری

Amjad Bakhtiari, a teacher residing in Dehgolan and one of the detainees from the 2022 nationwide protests, has been sentenced by the criminal court of Dehgolan to one year of imprisonment and 74 lashes, according to the Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations.

The report states that Mr. Bakhtiari was arrested by security forces during the 2022 nationwide protests and was released on bail shortly after.

Teacher Union Activist Mohsen Omrani Sentenced to Imprisonment

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Freedom of Expression, Labor and Guilds, News
Bushehr, HRANA, Mohsen Omrani, محسن عمرانی

Mohsen Omrani, a member of the Board of Directors of the Bushehr Teachers’ Trade Association, has been sentenced to one year in prison by the Revolutionary Court of Bushehr.

According to the ruling issued by the Revolutionary Court of Bushehr and recently communicated to Mr. Omrani, he has been sentenced to one year in prison on the charge of “propaganda against the regime.” Several posts on social media have been cited as evidence for the charges against him.

The court session for these charges was held on July 2 of this year. A previous court session for Omrani’s charges was held, but the case was sent back to the prosecutor’s office due to deficiencies.

A source close to Mr. Omrani told HRANA that he is facing another legal case. In October of last year, Omrani, along with three other members of the Board of Directors of the Bushehr Teachers’ Trade Association, was sentenced to two years of discretionary imprisonment, confiscation of seized assets in favor of the government, and a three-year ban on teaching activities in academic environments. This case has been sent to Branch 3 of the Bushehr Province Court of Appeals, with a hearing date set for August.

Additionally, Mr. Omrani, along with two other union activists, was sentenced by the Bushehr Province Criminal Court to a fine for “participating in teachers’ union protests.” Later, these citizens were acquitted of the charges by the province’s Court of Appeals.

Mohsen Omrani, a member of the Board of Directors of the Bushehr Teachers’ Trade Association, has a history of arrest and conviction due to his activities.

Two Union Activists’s Convictions Upheld on Appeal

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Freedom of Expression, Labor and Guilds, News
Hossein Ashrafi, Iraj Toubaeiha, Najafabad

The convictions of Iraj Toubaeiha (Najafabadi) and Hossein Ashrafi, two members of the Teachers’ Trade Association of Najafabad, were upheld by Branch 37 of the Isfahan Court of Appeal. In the initial court, Mr. Toubaeiha was sentenced to six years in prison, two years in exile, and a fine, while Mr. Ashrafi was sentenced to one year in prison, suspended for four years.

Based on the ruling issued on June 29 by Branch 37 of the Isfahan Court of Appeal, and communicated to these union activists, Mr. Toubaeiha was sentenced to two years in prison for “insulting the Supreme Leader,” one year for “propaganda against the regime,” one year for “disrupting public order by participating in illegal gatherings,” and two years and a fine of fifteen million tomans for “spreading falsehoods.” Additionally, he was sentenced to two years in exile in a village in Nahbandan, South Khorasan province.
Mr. Ashrafi was sentenced to one year in prison for “disrupting public order by participating in illegal gatherings,” with the sentence suspended for four years.

The arrest warrant for these union activists was issued in January 2024 by the Second Branch of the Najafabad General Prosecutor’s Office.
Iraj Toubaeiha (Najafabadi), a member of the Najafabad Teachers’ Union, was detained for 35 days in the fall of 2022, for 5 days in the spring of 2023, and for 13 days in the fall of 2023. He had previously been arrested and faced judicial actions due to his activities.

Three Workers’ Rights Activists Sentenced to a Total of Six Years in Prison

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Freedom of Expression, Labor and Guilds, News
Mohammad Iran-Nejad, Morteza Seydi, Nasrollah Amirloo

Mohammad Iran-Nejad, Nasrollah Amirloo, and Morteza Seydi, labor activists, were each sentenced to two years in prison by the Revolutionary Court of Shahriar.

According to a verdict recently issued by branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court of Shahriar and delivered to these workers’ rights advocates on June 22, they were each sentenced to two years in prison for “forming a group under the title of a labor union with the intent to disrupt national security.” The court session to address these charges was held on May 26th of the previous year in the aforementioned branch.

Iran-Nejad, Amirloo, and Seydi, along with several other labor activists, were arrested by security forces on April 15, 2022. Amirloo and Seydi were released on bail on May 2 and May 9 of the same year, respectively, and Iran-Nejad was released after about a month.

Mohammad Iran-Nejad was sent to Evin Prison on June 26, 2022, to serve his sentence of two years and nine months for another case. Following the fire incident in Evil Prison on October 15, 2022, he and several other prisoners were transferred to Rajai Shahr Prison. He was released from this prison in February-March 2024.

Alarming Rise in Casualties Among Border Workers: Over 170 Kolbars and Fuel Carriers Dead or Injured in Two Months

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Labor and Guilds, News, Other
Baneh, HRANA, Kermanshah, Kolbar, Kurdistan, Nowsud, Sukhtbar, West Azerbaijan

HRANA News Agency reports that from February 20 to April 19, 2024, the number of incidents causing death and injury among cross-border laborers (Kolbar) and fuel carriers (Sukhtbar) has significantly increased.

During this period, at least 15 Kolbars in the border areas of Kermanshah, Kurdistan, and West Azerbaijan provinces, and 9 Sukhtbars in the southeastern border areas of the country, lost their lives. Additionally, 141 Kolbars and 11 Sukhtbars were injured. Indiscriminate military shootings were the leading cause, followed by incidents such as falls from heights, frostbite, and cardiac arrest.

In comparison, the casualty figures from the previous two months totaled 93 (10 dead and 83 injured). This indicates a 90% increase in casualties and injuries among border workers (both Kolbars and Sukhtbars) in the recent two months.

Military shootings caused the deaths of 9 Kolbars and injuries to 115. Additional Kolbar fatalities occurred due to falls from heights (3 deaths), frostbite (2 deaths), and cardiac arrest (1 death). Of the injuries, 17 resulted from falls, 4 from military personnel assaults, and 4 from landmine explosions in the border areas.

In Sistan and Baluchestan province, 9 Baluchi Sukhtbars died from direct gunshot wounds or vehicle overturns due to military shootings. An additional 11 Sukhtbars were injured in similar incidents.

All reported incidents in Kermanshah province occurred in the border areas of Nowsud county, resulting in 98 injured Kolbars and 3 deaths. In Kurdistan province, the border areas of Baneh reported the most Kolbar casualties, with 3 deaths and 22 injuries.

Between March 23 and March 28, 2024, at least 7 Kolbars died, with 5 deaths attributed to military shootings and falls from heights.

On February 24, 2024, military personnel targeted dozens of Kolbars with gunfire at the border. Investigations show that on this day, at least 45 Kolbars were injured by military gunfire.

These figures are collected by HRANA and may underreport the true scope of casualties, as data is likely lacking in some areas.

Kolbars, primarily Kurdish citizens residing in impoverished regions, face numerous hazards while carrying heavy loads over long, difficult paths, in addition to facing military forces on both sides of the border. Indiscriminate shootings by border guards remain a significant cause of death and injury among Kolbars.

Meanwhile, in Sistan and Baluchestan province, lack of sufficient income forces many to engage in high-risk fuel carrying, known as Sukhtbari, for family livelihood. This dangerous occupation involves transporting fuel across borders and exposes workers to threats such as military attacks and natural disasters.
In addition to material damages, the killing of pack animals and incidents such as frostbite and avalanches also lurk for cross-border workers.

HRANA’s report on human rights violations in Iran during the 1402 Hijri year provides statistics on citizens killed or injured by Iran’s military forces.