Iran: Teachers and education staff stage protests across the country

Teachers’ placards: “Free imprisoned teachers!”, “Teachers, rise up to eliminate discrimination”

Young photographer arrested

Following the call by teachers’ associations to stage nationwide demonstrations, teachers and faculty of education staged protests in Tehran and other cities on October 8. The gatherings on the International Teachers’ Day (October 5) and in protest to “the continuation and escalation of summoning, harassment, arrest and imprisonment of teachers”, the trampling of their most basic rights by the ruling religious fascism, and “the ineptitude of the Education Ministry in fulfilling its duty of educating and fostering.”

In addition to Tehran, the protest move took place in Sanandaj, Marivan, Saqqez, Sardasht, Kermanshah, Isfahan, Shiraz, Hamedan, Mashhad, Torbat Heydarieh, Rasht, Sari, Ahwaz, Khorramshahr, Tabriz, Qazvin, Najafabad, Jiroft, Qom, Karaj, Gheer-o Karzin, Bandar Gaz, Bandar Torkman, Agh Ghela and Aliabad, as well as in the provinces of Golestan, Mazandaran and Khuzistan outside the Department of Education or the Governor’s Office.

The nationwide protest demanded freedom of imprisoned teachers Ali-Akbar Baghani, Mahmoud Beheshti Langroodi, Alireza Hashemi, Ismail Abdi, Rassoul Badaghi and Abdolreza Ghanbari who are detained in Tehran’s Evin Prison and Gohardasht (Rajaii Shahr) Prison in Karaj. Participants in these gatherings held placards which read: “How long must we remain silence? Teachers rise and eliminate discrimination”, “Teachers are conscious, they abhor discrimination”, “Poverty line 3 million, our salaries one million”, “Remove police atmosphere from education”, “Stop pressuring corporate associations”, “What will happen to a society whose cultural architects are in prison?”, “Free education is the inalienable right of children”, “I am a student; I am hungry; what am I supposed to do?”

In Tehran, the teachers’ gathering was staged outside the General Department of Education in Palestine Square despite heavy presence of plainclothes agents. A young photographer was arrested for taking pictures of this gathering and the teachers’ protest to the repressive conduct of intelligence agents. Motorcyclists of the Special Anti-riot Unit had been stationed in nearby streets to further terrorize and disperse the people.

The staff of the Education Ministry in Sanandaj staged their gathering while the agents of the Anti-riot Guard had spread out across the city since a few days before and tried to prevent formation of this gathering in any way possible.

Hundreds of Kermanshah’s Education Ministry staff held their gathering in Sangar St. across from the Education Department.

A number of members of the faculty of Golestan Province gathered outside the Governor’s Office.

Hundreds of freedom-loving teachers of Gheer-o Karzin (Fars Province) also staged a protest gathering in solidarity with their colleagues, despite efforts by intelligence ministry agents in this city to prevent participation in this gathering by making repeated contacts since Thursday morning with leaders of the Teachers’ Association and summoning them to the ministry’s branch, “Herasat” (or Guards) and banning the gathering.