Tag: Javad Laal Mohammadi

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

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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.

 

Update on Javad Laal Mohammadi’s Condition in Vakil-Abad Prison

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News, Prisoners
Aida Laal Mohammadi, Ezzat Javadi Hesar, Javad Laal Mohammadi, Vakil-Abad Prison

Political Activist Javad La’al Mohammadi is detained in Vakil-Abad Prison for more than eight months where the due process in his case has been unclear. In April of 2022, he was transferred from a detention facility to Vakil-Abad Prison in Mashhad.

La’al Mohammadi was one of the 14 signatories of a letter which requested the resignation of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, which has had consequences for its signatories.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, Civil Activist Javad La’al Mohammadi is still in detention in an uncertain condition for more than eight months in Vakil-Abad Prison in Mashhad.

La’al Mohammadi is currently held in a cell with another activist Abbas Vahedian Shahroudi. In February of the last year, his court session was held in Branch 903 of the Public and Revolutionary Court of Mashhad.

During the legal process, he was allowed to choose a lawyer only from those the judiciary confirmed.

On October 13, 2021, security forces arrested this civil activist at his house. During the arrest, the agents searched his house and confiscated some of his belongings. They also threatened his family members. Earlier, on September 1, 2021, with his wife, Ezzat Javadi Hesar and his daughter Aida La’al Mohammadi, he had been arrested in Mashhad. During this detention, La’al Mohammadi was beaten up and tortured.

14 civil rights activists received long-term prison sentences

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Freedom of Expression, Prisoners
Abdolrasoul Mortazavi, Fatemeh Sepehri, Giti Pourfazel, Javad Laal Mohammadi, Mohammad Hossein Sepehri, Mohammad Nourizad, Seyed Hashem Khastar, Shahla Entesari, Shahla Jahanbin, Zahra Jamali

A letter signed by 14 civil rights activists was published in July-August of 2019 demanding resignation of Ayatollah Khamenei. After this letter was published, some of the signees were arrested and some were under pressure. Currently, Abdolrasoul Mortazavi, Mohammad Hossein Sepehri, Mohammad Nourizad, Javad Laal Mohammadi, Seyed Hashem Khastar, and Fatemeh Sepehri who signed this letter are still in detention and some were released on bail.

On February 1, 2020, eight arrestees who signed the letter requesting Ayatollah Khamenei’s resignation, were sentenced to a total of 90 years imprisonment, six years ban from leaving the country, and six years of exile by Branch 4 of Mashhad’s Revolutionary Court. Their detailed sentences are as the following:

Seyed Hashem Khastar: 16 years imprisonment, three years exile to Nikshahr, and three years ban from leaving the country

Mohammad Nourizad: 15 years imprisonment, three years exile to Izeh, and three years ban from leaving the country.

Abdolrasoul Mortazavi: 26 years imprisonment

Mohammad Hossein Sepehri: 6 years imprisonment

Fatemeh Sepehri: 6 years imprisonment

Hashem Rajai, Morteza Ghasemi, and Mohammad Hosseinpour: each was sentenced to a one-year prison term

In addition, Javad Laal Mohammadi was sentenced to 9 years of imprisonment on February 4, 2019.

Moreover, on February 5, 2020, Mohammad Mahdavifar, civil rights activist and a signee of the letter was sentenced to 9 years in prison by Branch 102 of the Penal Court 2 Aran and Bidgol.

These sentences were issued for the charges of “establishing an unlawful group and propaganda against the state”. The sentences for “insulting the Supreme Leader and the Founder of the Islamic Republic” are still in process.

On February 3, 2020, Abdolrasoul Mortazavi and on February 4, Javad Laal Mohammadi were arrested.

It should be noted that they were arrested together on August 11, 2019, in front of a courthouse in Mashhad.

 

A letter of 14 women civil rights activists

In August 2019, another letter was published under the title of 14 women civil rights with content similar to the aforementioned letter, requesting Ayatollah Khamenei’s resignation. After this letter was published, the security forces arrested Zahra Jamali on August 24, Giti Pourfazel on August 19, Shahla Entesari on August 22, and Shahla Jahanbin on August 21.

Eventually, Shahla Jahanbin on November 13, Shahla Entesari on November 10, and Giti Pourfazel on November 13 were each temporarily released on a 500 million Toman bail before completion of the prosecution from Evin Prison.

Four civil rights activists, Shahla Jahanbin, Zahra Jamali, Giti Pourfazel, and Shahla Entesari, who wrote an open letter in summer of 2019 and requested Ayatollah Khamenei’s resignation, were sentenced each to six years imprisonment by the Revolutionary Court for the charges of “assembly and collusion against the national security” and “propaganda against the state”.

Among them, Ms. Giti Pourfazel who is an attorney and a member of the Iranian Writers’ Association, was also sentenced to two years ban from membership in parties and social/political groups.

A Report of Detained Activists in Mashhad

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Other
Abdolrasoul Mortazavi, Fatemeh Sepehri, Gholam-Ali Hosseinpour, Gholam-Hossein Boroujerdi, Hashem Rajai, Hoorieh Farajzadeh Tarani, Javad Laal Mohammadi, Kamal Jafari Yazdi, Mohammad Hossein Sepehri, Mohammad Nourizad, Morteza Ghasemi, Pooran Nazemi Moezabadi, Reza Jangi, Seyed Hashem Khastar, Vakilabad prison, Zahra Soleymanian

14 civil rights activists were arrested on August 11, 2019 in front of a courthouse in Mashhad. They were protesting the 13-years imprisonment sentence for a university professor, Kamal Jafari Yazdi, by his appeals court when they were arrested. Three of them were released on bail and the other 11 people are still in prison.

According to the written judgment published on October 2, 2019, the name of the 14 detained activists are as following:

Abdolrasoul Mortazavi, Mohammad Hossein Sepehri, Hashem Rajai, Gholam-Hossein Boroujerdi, Mohammad Nourizad, Reza Jangi, Javad Laal Mohammadi, Morteza Ghasemi, Pooran Nazemi Moezabadi, Houriyeh Farajzadeh Tarani, Zahra Soleymanian, Seyed Hashem Khastar, Gholam-Ali Hosseinpour, and Fatemeh Sepehri.

Houriyeh Farajzadeh was released on bail on September 27, 2019 while Gholam-Hossein Boroujerdi and Pooran Nazemi were temporary released on bail earlier.

Kamal Jafari Yazdi is a university professor residing in Mashhad who was sentenced to 13 years in prison by the Branch 4 of the Mashhad Revolutionary Court in mid-April 2019. He was initially sentenced to ten years in prison for “forming an illegal group against national security,” two years for “insulting the Supreme Leader,” and one year for “propaganda against the regime”. The Appeals Court has upheld a preliminary court verdict against him on August 19, 2019. He was arrested to serve his sentence on August 30, 2019. On the verdict of the appeals court, it was mentioned that his sentenced was not reduced because of his interviews and the demonstration of his friends in front of the court.

On August 11, several civil rights activists showed up at his appeals court in Mashhad to express solidarity with him and they were arrested. Men were transferred to the ward 1-6 and women were transferred to the women ward of Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad. They were transferred to the Intelligence Department Detention Center after three days. Fars News Agency also confirmed their arrest. Their case was transferred from Sorkhrud’s Branch 3 of Public Court to the Branch 903 of the Revolutionary Court of Mashhad. They were charged with “disturbance in public order” through demonstration, and “propaganda in favor of opposition groups”.