Many non-profit teachers in Iran earn less than 1 million Tomans, but even this paltry salary hasn’t been put into teachers’ bank accounts during the quarantine period of the Covid-19 outbreak.

On Thursday morning, teachers attending a peaceful protest were attacked by security forces with batons, tear gas and pepper spray. Reports from the MEK sources in the scene say that between 40-50 teachers were arrested for participating in the protests.

#IranProtests
Security forces attacked a peaceful teachers’ gathering today in the central city of Isfahan with tear gas and pepper spray. Reports on social media indicate that as many as 40 to 50 teachers were detained in the gathering, though the figures are still not exact. pic.twitter.com/0wcOKm9XOr

— Mohammad Hossaini (@mhossainian3) December 27, 2018

Threats and Intimidation

Isfahan’s teachers were responding to a call on social media to protest and had gathered in front of the city’s Education Department to protest the regime’s failure to meet their demands. The mostly-female educators held their demonstration despite threats and intimidation from regime security forces and intelligence agents leading up to the protest. Teachers were warned that anyone participating in the protest would face dire consequences.

Tear Gas and Pepper Spray

On Thursday morning, security forces were deployed in the streets around the Education Department in Isfahan, and riot police fired tear gas into the crowd of protesters as the demonstration began. The teachers continued their protest despite these acts of suppression.

The protesters chanted, “A nation has never seen such injustice.”
In a video of the protest shared on social media, one teacher expressed her anger to a reporter from state-run media:

Teachers in #Isfahan protested the mullahs state television existence
A teacher said to a reporter: Are you living in Paris that you don't know the prices here? Your job is just for making a show!!#Iran #Iranprotests #اعتصاب_سراسری pic.twitter.com/ABJKvALHXz

— Korush (@Korushmohamady) December 27, 2018

“You talk as if you don’t live in this society. You ask me to talk about my financial condition. Don’t you see it? Are we living in Paris?”

She went on to say, “We are part of a society where 90% of the people live under the line of poverty. Now you want me to talk about my condition? Your show is a farce.”.
Security forces saw a woman recording the violent attacks on the peaceful protests and tried to arrest her, but onlookers saw her being attacked and came to her rescue, helping her to escape.

Two Nationwide Strikes

Thursday’s protests follow two nationwide strikes by Iranian teachers this year. Teachers have been forced to close their classrooms and face arrest and intimidation because of unbearable conditions. The teachers have demanded better wages and benefits, implementation of agreed-upon policy changes, better classroom conditions, and the release of their detained colleagues. 98 teachers were arrested or summoned in the two teachers’ strikes this year, many of who still remain in prison. Activist teachers are frequently imprisoned for organizing and advocating for teachers’ rights, and many serve lengthy prison sentences.

Statement by Mrs. Rajavi

Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), hailed Iran’s teachers who continued their protests despite the repressive actions of the regime. She asked the people of Isfahan, particularly the youth, to stand in support of the teachers and to protest their arrests. She further called upon human rights activists, trade unions, and educators from around the world to support Iran’s teachers and to take immediate action to secure the release of those teachers arrested during Thursday’s protests.

The MEK strongly supports Iran’s teachers in their protests and their demands for better pay and working conditions. Workers across Iran have shown through their protests over the past year that they are unhappy with the regime and its policies, which have left them poor and without the freedom to express their dissatisfaction. The MEK and the NCRI offer a democratic alternative to the brutal suppression of the mullahs’ regime, one which will free the people of Iran.

Staff Writer

 

 

 

 

 

October 5th marked the 70th anniversary of the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that established education as a fundamental right. It was also World Teachers Day, a day set aside to honor teachers and their valuable contributions to the future of society.

5 Oct#Iran – Alborz Province
On World Teachers’ Day, teachers’ rights defenders gathered protesting arbitrarily arrested and detained; and sentenced to long prison terms of teachers in #Iran#IraniansWantRegimeChange pic.twitter.com/AhnRuDoCOY

— Nikoo (@nikooamini) October 5, 2018

On this occasion, imprisoned Iranian teachers Esmail Abdi and Mahmoud Beheshti Langeroudi, both of whom are currently detained in Evin Prison, penned an open letter to Iran’s teachers.

The two educators wished Iranian teachers a happy World Teachers Day and then described the ways that teachers’ rights have been trampled by the Iranian regime. They wrote that “the right to independent unions, separated from the government and political parties, the right to protest and go on strike and practice freedom of speech which is the minimum rights of teachers and wage earners have been violated for years by all the administrations of the Islamic Republic.”

Esmail Abdi, a 44-year-old high school teacher, and Mahmoud Beheshti Langroudi were both members of the Iranian Teachers’ Trade Association (ITTA). Abdi was Secretary General of the organization before he began his six year prison term. Langroudi was the ITTA’s spokesperson. He was given a five-year prison sentence for “assembling and colluding against national security” and “spreading propaganda against the state.”

#Ottawa Oct. 6, 2018, at #ParliamentHill &across from PM office: Iranian-Canadians and #PMOI supporters, standing in solidarity with the Truck Drivers on strike and teacher prisoners in #Iran. #IranProtests #IranRegimeChange #FreeIran #اعتصاب_کامیونداران #معلم #براندازم #جاده pic.twitter.com/yKYroXd7uT

— Narges Ghaffari (@Radioirava) October 7, 2018

MEK sources inside Iran report that teachers live under the poverty line and that those who form unions to stand up for their rights are jailed and prosecuted. According to human rights advocates, a number of teachers are currently imprisoned for exercising their right to protest.

On World Teachers Day, activists held a protest to help draw attention to the plight of these imprisoned teachers. A video on social media shows a female teacher with a sign saying, “Esmail Abdi must be released.” Other protesters can be seen in the video holding pictures of jailed Iranian teachers.

“Every year, the budget ratified for education only suffices to pay for basic expenses and the teachers’ salaries, which are already half the poverty line,” said teachers’ activist Mojgan Bagheri in a September 26th interview with the state-run Salamat News website.

#Iran’s #teachers protest gatherings #GoogleNews #Euronews #BreakingNews #مليونيه_خلع_الحجاب http://t.co/rSUKOW2v9p pic.twitter.com/ae6Zvw1Yo4

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) April 16, 2015

Seyed Mohammad Javad Abtahi, member of the regime’s Parliament’s Education and Research Committee agreed, adding, “The livelihood of teachers hired by the Education Ministry is also far from decent. Teachers are struggling to earn their living and at the same time fulfill their professional obligations… In a good educational system, teachers must enjoy the most value and importance… However, this has not happened for Iranian teachers and they face a plethora of problems, particularly economic problems.”

Teachers in Iran are paid poverty wages, and most work on temporary contracts. Teachers do not receive benefits, and they frequently go for months without receiving their salaries.

Staff Writer