Tag: Farhad Rahmani

World Teachers’ Day: At Least 47 Iranian Teachers Imprisoned, Detained, or in Exile

Posted on by . .
Freedom of Expression, Labor and Guilds, News, Prisoners, Publications
Abbas Bagheri, Abolfazl Khoran, Ahanali Jahandideh, Ahmad Alizadeh, Alan Hekmatirad, Ali Ahmadi, Alireza Mardasi, Alireza Shaygan, Aman Jalalinezhad, Ameneh Biraqdari, Amir Rahimi, Arman Shahpourikho, Bakhtiar Rezvani, Farhad Rahmani, Fatemeh Zarei, Forouzan Yektaei, Hashem Khastar, Hossein Khaleghi, Hossein Ramezanpour, Iraj Toubeiha, Javad Laal Mohammadi, Javad Safari, Mahmoud Heidarian, Masoud Farhikhteh, Masoud Kiani, Mastoureh Narimani, Mehdi Farahi Shandiz, Milad Khorshidi, Mohammad Hassan Davoudi, Mohammad Hossein Sepehri, Mohammad Rafi Sadeghi, Mohsen Khodaei, Mojtaba Iravi, Reza Amanifar, Reza Gerami, Reza Kamalvand, Reza Taheri, Sabah Valadbeigi, Sadegh Sedaghat, Sattar Zarei, Shervin Hamideh, Shokrollah Ahmadi, Siamak Sadeghi Chehrazi, Sina Karimi-Mofrad, Sirous Sattarnezhad, Yousef Amini, Zahra Arefi Mehr

HRANA – At least 47 current and retired teachers across Iran are imprisoned, detained, or serving sentences of exile, according to data compiled by HRANA on the occasion of World Teachers’ Day. Of those, 13 are serving prison sentences, 32 remain in detention, and two are serving court-ordered exile. This report provides an overview of their latest known status and focuses exclusively on their current circumstances.

World Teachers’ Day, observed annually on October 5, has been commemorated since 1994 and marks the anniversary of the adoption of the 1966 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers. The document addresses, among other issues, teachers’ rights and responsibilities, conditions of employment, and standards for their working conditions and education.

Overview of Teachers’ Current Status

CategoryNumber
Total individuals47
Serving prison sentences13
In detention32
Serving sentences of exile2
Geographic scope19 provinces

 

These 47 teachers are spread across 19 provinces in Iran. Razavi Khorasan has the highest number on the list, with eight individuals. It is followed by Fars and Khuzestan provinces, with five each; North Khorasan, with four; and Alborz and West Azerbaijan, with three each.

Kurdistan, Kermanshah, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Markazi, Isfahan, and Tehran each have two individuals on the list, while Lorestan, Bushehr, Kerman, Zanjan, Gilan, Qazvin, and Ilam each have one.

Names of the 47 Teachers:

Shokrollah Ahmadi, Masoud Farhikhteh, Milad Khorshidi, Amir Rahimi, Reza Amanifar, Ali Ahmadi, Mohammad Rafi Sadeghi, Sabah Valadbeigi, Siamak Sadeghi Chehrazi, Mojtaba Iravi, Mohammad Hassan Davoudi, Bakhtiar Rezvani, Javad Safari, Forouzan Yektaei, Hossein Khaleghi, Ahanali Jahandideh, Hashem Khastar, Javad Laal-Mohammadi, Mohsen Khodaei, Iraj Toubeiha, Shervin Hamideh, Masoud Kiani, Hossein Ramezanpour, Mahmoud Heidarian, Reza Taheri, Sirous Sattarnezhad, Mastoureh Narimani, Farhad Rahmani, Ahmad Alizadeh, Sina Karimi-Mofrad, Sadegh Sedaghat, Abolfazl Khoran, Mehdi Farahi Shandiz, Alireza Mardasi, Aman Jalalinezhad, Mohammad Hossein Sepehri, Reza Kamalvand, Yousef Amini, Zahra Arefi-Mehr, Alireza Shaygan, Arman Shahpourikho, Alan Hekmatirad, Reza Gerami, Ameneh Biraqdari, Fatemeh Zarei, Sattar Zarei, and Abbas Bagheri.

Among those on the list, Alireza Mardasi has been sentenced to death on two counts and one year in prison. The sentences issued against Javad Laal-Mohammadi total 21 years in prison, a portion of which is enforceable. Hashem Khastar has been sentenced to 18 years and six months in prison, while Mohammad Hossein Sepehri has been sentenced to 11 years and nine months in prison.

Teachers Serving Prison Sentences

According to available information, 13 teachers are currently serving their sentences:

• Masoud Farhikhteh – Sentenced to five years, one month, and 17 days in prison and is serving his sentence at Karaj Central Penitentiary.

• Amir Rahimi – Sentenced to four years in prison and is incarcerated at Dorud Prison.

• Mohammad Hassan Davoudi – Sentenced to three years, four months, and two days in prison and is serving his sentence at Urmia Prison.

• Javad Safari – Sentenced to five years in prison and a fine and is incarcerated at Zanjan Prison.

• Abolfazl Khoran – Sentenced to a total of six years and five months in prison and 74 lashes and is serving his sentence at Arak Prison.

• Hashem Khastar – Has been in detention and prison since August 2019. He was sentenced to 18 years and six months in prison, two years of exile, and a two-year ban on leaving the country. He is currently incarcerated at Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad.

• Javad Laal-Mohammadi – Has been in detention and prison since October 2021. His sentences total 21 years in prison, a portion of which is enforceable. In August 2026, he was also dismissed from the Ministry of Education by the Primary Board for Administrative Violations of Employees of the Razavi Khorasan Department of Education.

• Mohammad Hossein Sepehri – Sentenced to 11 years and nine months in prison and dismissal from the Ministry of Education. He is serving his sentence at Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad.

• Aman Jalalinezhad – Sentenced by a criminal court to three years and six months in prison and is incarcerated at Sheiban Prison in Ahvaz.

• Arman Shahpourikho – Currently serving a two-year prison sentence at Sheiban Prison in Ahvaz.

• Reza Kamalvand – Currently serving a five-year prison sentence and has been suspended from his job. He is held at Esfarayen Prison.

• Alireza Mardasi – Incarcerated at Sheiban Prison in Ahvaz and sentenced to death on two counts and one year in prison. According to available information, his sentence has been upheld by the Supreme Court.

• Ameneh Biraqdari – Arrested in January 2026 and transferred to Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad. She was subsequently sentenced to one year in prison. After accepting the verdict and waiving her right to appeal, her sentence was reduced to eight months.

Teachers in Detention

In addition to the teachers sentenced to prison, 32 other teachers remain in detention. They are being held in prisons in various cities across the country, and in several cases, their exact place of detention or the charges brought against them remain unknown.

Fars: Shokrollah Ahmadi, Ali Ahmadi, Hossein Khaleghi, Ahanali Jahandideh, and Sadegh Sedaghat are in detention. Shokrollah Ahmadi was arrested in Nurabad, Mamasani, on September 25, 2026, and, following interrogation, was transferred to the city’s prison. Five other teachers who were arrested at the same time were later released on bail.

Razavi Khorasan: Zahra Arefi-Mehr, Alireza Shaygan, Reza Gerami, and Fatemeh Zarei are in detention.

Kurdistan: Milad Khorshidi and Mojtaba Iravi are in detention.

Khuzestan: Siamak Sadeghi Chehrazi and Mastoureh Narimani are in detention.

North Khorasan: Hossein Ramezanpour, Mahmoud Heidarian, and Abbas Bagheri are in detention.

Alborz: Shervin Hamideh and Reza Taheri are in detention.

Kermanshah: Sabah Valadbeigi and Masoud Kiani are in detention.

Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad: Bakhtiar Rezvani and Sina Karimi-Mofrad are in detention.

Tehran: Mehdi Farahi Shandiz and Sirous Sattarnezhad are in detention.

Additionally, Reza Amanifar in Bushehr, Mohammad Rafi Sadeghi in Sirjan, Forouzan Yektaei in Rasht, Mohsen Khodaei in Javersian, Farhad Rahmani in Takestan, Yousef Amini in Bukan, Alan Hekmatirad in Naqadeh, and Sattar Zarei in Khomeyni Shahr remain in detention.

Teachers Serving Sentences of Exile

In addition to those imprisoned or detained, two teachers are currently serving sentences of exile. Iraj Toubeiha, following his release from Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan, was sent to Dehsalm Rural District in Nehbandan County, South Khorasan Province, to serve a two-year sentence of exile. Ahmad Alizadeh, after completing his prison sentence, is also serving his sentence of exile in Fanuj County.

Conclusion

The cases documented in this report reflect the current circumstances of at least 47 current and retired teachers across Iran, based on information available at the time of publication.

Penalties imposed on individuals in this group include death sentences, lengthy prison terms, flogging, fines, dismissal from the Ministry of Education, suspension from employment, travel bans, and exile. In addition, the legal status of some detained teachers—including the charges against them and, in some cases, their exact place of detention—remains unclear.

 

Day 46 of the Protests: Conditional Release with Mandatory Pledges, Arrest of Teachers, and European Parliament Session

Posted on by . .
Freedom of Expression, News
Ali Imani Motlagh, Ali Shamaili, Amir Rahimi, Azar Mansouri, Ebrahim Asgharzadeh, Farhad Rahmani, HRANA, IRGC Intelligence, Isfahan, Masoud Kiani, Mastoureh Narimani, Sattar Zarei, Shahin-Shahr

HRANA – According to HRANA’s latest aggregated data through the end of the forty-sixth day since the beginning of the protests, the total number of confirmed deaths has reached 7,002. Of these, 6,506 individuals have been registered under the category of “protesters,” including 216 persons under the age of 18. In addition, 214 individuals affiliated with government forces and 66 “non-protesters civilians” have been reported killed. Another 11,730 cases remain under investigation.

During the same period, the number of injured civilians has been recorded at 25,022, total arrests at 52,941 cases, student arrests at 136 cases, forced confessions at 337 cases, and summonses at 11,051 cases. A total of 676 protest locations have been documented across 210 cities in 31 provinces.

On the forty-sixth day, the following key developments are noteworthy: the continuation of targeted arrests among citizens and teachers, the imposition of new conditions for the release of detainees, and international reactions to the systematic crackdown on protesters.

Conditional Release of Some Detainees Tied to Signing a Pledge to Participate in a Pro-Regime Rally

In Shahin Shahr, Isfahan, the families of at least three recently detained individuals have announced that despite the issuance and posting of bail, the release of their loved ones has been halted. According to these families, judicial authorities have made their release contingent upon signing a written pledge requiring the detainees to participate in the February 11 rally, take photos and videos of their attendance, and submit them to the relevant authorities.

Families have been informed that failure to sign this pledge or to comply with its terms would expose the individuals to the risk of re-arrest. This conditional requirement has been imposed even though bail had already been secured and the legal procedures for its submission had
been completed.

Arrest of At Least 8 Teachers in Various Cities

Amid continued security crackdowns, at least eight teachers have been arrested in connection with the protests. The names of the detained teachers are: Mastoureh Narimani in Ahvaz, Amir Rahimi in Azna, Sattar Zarei in Khomeini Shahr, Ali Shamaili in Songhor, Shervin Hamideh in Karaj, Farhad Rahmani in Takestan, Ali Imani Motlagh in Lorestan, and Masoud Kiani in Shabad.

The arrest of these teachers, alongside the reported 136 student arrests, indicates the Iranian regime’s concentrated crackdown on the education sector.

European Parliament Session on Systematic Crackdown in Iran

Today, the European Parliament held a session on “systematic repression, inhumane conditions, and arbitrary detentions” in Iran. During the session, representatives discussed the intensification of the crackdown on protests, widespread arrests, poor detention conditions, and the denial of detainees’ access to medical care and legal counsel.

In the draft resolution presented within this body, emphasis was placed on the immediate and unconditional release of political detainees and protesters, granting international bodies access to detention facilities, and holding perpetrators of serious human rights violations accountable.

Arrests and Crackdowns Continue

Arrest of Citizens in Several Provinces

In connection with the protests, Soroush Dabirmanesh and Khalil Rasouli in Bojnurd, Sajed Khabazi in Lahijan, Mehdi Haghjou (a 17-year-old student) in Langarud, and Milad Didar in Rasht were arrested by security forces.

In Dehdasht, Jamal Pourmandfar was arrested on January 10, 2026, and transferred to the city’s prison, where he remains in a state of uncertainty.

Arrest of Political and Reformist Activists

In Tehran, Mohsen Aminzadeh, a member of the Reform Front, was arrested on February 7, 2026, by IRGC Intelligence agents. His lawyer has stated that he is being held in solitary confinement and that the announced charges lack legal basis.

At the same time, Azar Mansouri, Ebrahim Asgharzadeh, Hossein Karroubi, and Ali Shokouhi-Rad have also been arrested. These arrests indicate an expansion of the crackdown to include political figures and long-standing activists.

Arrest of Labor Activists

Yaser Ahmadinejad, a labor activist and dismissed worker of the National Iranian Drilling Company, was arrested on February 5, 2026 (aligned with Europe time) and transferred to Dehdasht Prison. He had previously acted as an independent representative of workers, pursuing labor demands and criticizing oil sector management and contractors.

Pressure on the Media and Response to a Live Broadcast Incident

During the February 11 ceremony, a presenter on Hamoon Network mistakenly uttered the phrase “Death to Khamenei” during a live broadcast, which led to the broadcast being cut off. Following the incident, the network’s broadcast director was dismissed, the channel’s operator and supervisor were suspended, and other staff members were referred to a disciplinary committee.

Continuation of Judicial Threats

The First Deputy of the Judiciary announced that some protest-related cases are in the investigation phase, some have been sent to court with indictments issued, and others are at the appeals stage. He emphasized that those who have “committed rioting” will be dealt with without leniency.

Cumulative Statistics Through the End of Day 46

• Total recorded protest locations: 676

• Number of cities (without repetition): 210

• Number of provinces (without repetition): 31

• Injured civilians: 25,022

• Total arrests: 52,941

• Student arrests: 136

• Forced confessions: 337

• Summonses: 11,051

• Total protesters killed: 6,506

▪️ Including children: 216
▪️ Military/government forces: 214
▪️ Non-civilian, non-protesters: 66

• Total deaths: 7,002

• Cases under investigation: 11,730

It should be noted that the confirmed figures for fatalities represent the minimum number that can be verified, while estimates of the total number of those killed indicate significantly higher figures.

Summary

The forty-sixth day passed with arrests continuing at various levels, from school students and university students to teachers, labor activists, and political figures. Conditioning the release of some detainees in Shahin Shahr, the arrest of at least eight teachers across different cities, and the continuation of judicial proceedings accompanied by threatening rhetoric from officials were among the most notable developments of the day.

At the international level, the crackdown on protests and detention conditions has been raised in the European Parliament. Meanwhile, HRANA’s cumulative data indicate a continued rise in the number of deaths, injuries, and arrests—demonstrating that 46 days after the start of the protests, both the human and geographic scope of these events remains extensive, with their consequences continuing to accumulate.

At Least Eight Teachers Arrested in Connection with the Protests

Posted on by . .
Freedom of Expression, News
Ali Imani Motlagh, Ali Shamaili, Amir Rahimi, Farhad Rahmani, Masoud Kiani, Mastoureh Narimani, Sattar Zarei, Shervin Hamideh

HRANA – At least eight teachers, identified as Mastoureh Narimani in Ahvaz, Amir Rahimi in Azna, Sattar Zarei in Khomeini Shahr, Ali Shamaili in Songhor, Shervin Hamideh in Karaj, Farhad Rahmani in Takestan, Ali Imani Motlagh in Lorestan, and Masoud Kiani in Shabad, have been arrested in connection with the nationwide protests.

According to ILNA, members of the Teachers’ Trade Association announced that these individuals were arrested after January 8, 2026, in connection with the protests. Teachers’ union activists have called for the immediate release of the detained teachers.

As of the time of this report, no information has been obtained regarding the charges brought against the arrested individuals.

It is worth noting that gatherings and strikes by shopkeepers and market merchants began in Tehran on Sunday, December 28, 2025. After two days, the protests expanded beyond markets and commercial centers. With the participation of students, citizens, and various social groups, these demonstrations became one of the most widespread protests in recent years. Following the crackdown by law enforcement and security forces, thousands have been killed or injured, and tens of thousands have been arrested or summoned by security institutions. For further information, readers may refer to HRANA’s detailed report published last night on the forty-fifth day since the protests began.