Teacher Union Activist Ruhollah Gerehgosha Arrested in Mamasani

On December 11, 2023, Ruhollah Gerehgosha, a teacher union activist, was apprehended by security forces in Nurabad, Mamasani County, Fars province.

As of now, the specifics surrounding Gerehgosha’s arrest and the allegations against him remain undisclosed. A source close to his family, in conversation with HRANA, has conveyed that his current whereabouts are unknown.

Teacher Union Activist Soleiman Abdi Receives Eight-Month Prison Sentence

Soleiman Abdi, a member of the Teachers’ Trade Association in Saqqez and Ziviyeh, has been handed an eight-month prison sentence by the Saqqez Revolutionary Court, according to reports from Kurdpa.

Abdi was found guilty of “propaganda against the regime.”
In a separate legal case, the Criminal Court of Saqqez convicted him of “disrupting public order and safety,” resulting in an initial sentence of eight months in prison and 70 lashes. However, this sentence was later commuted to 720-hour community service, with the flogging punishment suspended for two years.

On March 19, 2023, security forces apprehended Abdi at his residence, and he was subsequently released on bail from Saqqez prison on April 10, 2023.
Soleiman Abdi has faced prior arrests related to his activities as a teacher union activist.

Teacher Union Activist Soleiman Abdi Arrested in Saqqez

On March 19, 2023, security forces arrested teacher union activist Soleiman Abdi at his home in Saqqez and took him to an undisclosed location. The agents also searched the house and seized some of his belongings.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting the Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations, on March 19 2023, Soleiman Abdi, a member of the Saqqez teacher union association, was arrested by security forces.

The reasons for his arrest and the place of detention are still unknown.

Soleiman Abdi faced other arrests for his civil activities as a teacher union activist on prior occasions.

 

 

Teacher Union Activist Bahram Yaghubi Arrested

On October 4, 2022, security forces arrested teacher union activist Bahram Yaghubi at his house in Tabriz. The agents searched the house and confiscated some of his personal belongings.

According to an informed source, the agents did not tell Yaghubi’s family where they took him, which raised his family’s concerns.

The reason for this arrest and the charges are still unknown.

Yaghubi is a physical education teacher and member of the East Azerbaijan Teachers’ Trade Association.

 

Teacher Union Activist Reza Tahmasbi Arrested

On Monday, June 20, 2022, Reza Tahmasbi, teacher union activist and a member of the Kurdistan Teachers’ Trade Associations, was arrested by security forces and transferred to an unidentified location.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Kurdpa, on Monday, June 20, 2022, security forces arrested teacher union activist Reza Tahmasbi without showing an arrest warrant

The reason for Tahmasbi’s arrest, the charges and his whereabouts are unknown so far.

In recent days, several teachers in cities across Iran have been arrested.

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Teacher Union Activist Jabbar Doosti Arrested in Mariwan

On Tuesday, June 7, 2022, security forces arrested teacher union activist Jabbar Doosti at his house in Mariwan and transferred him to an unidentified location. During the arrest, the agents searched his house and confiscated some of his personal belongings, including his laptop and cell phone.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting Kurdpa, on Tuesday, June 7, 2022, teacher union activist Jabbar Doosti was arrested by security forces at his house in Mariwan.

The reason for his arrest and the charges are unknown so far.

In recent months, teachers have organized nationwide rallies all across the country. In return, security and judicial authorities have repeatedly harassed, arrested and convicted teacher union activists.

Teacher Union Activist Esmail Abdi Hospitalized on Sixth Day of Hunger Strike

Teacher union activist Esmail Abdi was hospitalized after the sixth day of the hunger strike. Since last Sunday, May 1, Esmail Abdi, who is currently imprisoned in Kachooie Prison, has been on hunger strike in protest against “convictions against teacher union activists and suppression of imprisoned teachers and workers’ families.”

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, quoting the Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Association’s Telegram channel, Esmail Abdi was hospitalized due to deteriorating health conditions after six days of hunger strike.

On June 27, 2015, when Abdi went to Evin Courthouse to enquire about the reason for being banned from leaving the country, he was arrested and interrogated for many hours. After six months in detention, in March of that year, he was sentenced to six years in prison by the Revolutionary Court of Tehran on the charges of “propaganda against the regime and assembly and collusion against national security”, of which, five years was enforceable.

Earlier, Abdi was sentenced to ten years of suspended imprisonment which was supposed to last for five years. However,  while serving the last months of his five years sentence, this suspended sentence was reactivated by the court order.  

Teacher Union Activist Fatemeh Bahmani Arrested

On Sunday, May 1, 2022, security forces arrested teacher union activist Fatemeh Bahmani at her house and transferred her to an unidentified location. During the arrest, the agents searched her house and confiscated some of her and her family’s belongings including laptops and cell phones.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, on Sunday, May 1, 2022,  on International Workers’ Day, security forces arrested teacher union activist Fatemeh Bahmani in Tehran.

Mrs. Bahmani had been arrested on a prior occasion on December 24, 2021,  and released after a few hours of interrogation.

 In 2018,  Mrs. Bahmani was arrested with her husband during a teachers’ sit-in strike in Arak City and sent to prison. Subsequently, in two separate legal cases, Bahmani and her husband were sentenced to two years of suspended imprisonment, which lasts for three years, and a fine of 8 million tomans.

The reason for this arrest, the charges and Bahmani’s whereabouts are still unknown.

Teacher Union Activist Arrested in Connection with Online Activity Regarding Presidential Election

On June 19, teacher union activist Massoud Hamidnia was arrested by IRGC intelligence agents at his home in the city of Shush in Khuzestan Province.

According to HRANA, the news agency of Human Rights Activists, security forces raided his home without a warrant and confiscated several of his personal belongings including his laptop and mobile phone.

The detained activist is suffering from medical problems such as rheumatoid arthritis, and he has been denied access to his medications since the arrest, raising concern among his family.

Hamidnia’s family was told that he had been arrested in connection with his activities on social media and cyberspace regarding the recent presidential election.

As of this writing, no information is available on his whereabouts or the charges against him. Hamidnia has thus far only been allowed to make one short phone call to his family.