Twelve teachers were arrested and another thirty were summoned and interrogated by police following the two-day nationwide strike by Iranian teachers.

By intimidating and arresting honorable teachers of #Iran , the clerical regime seeks to prevent their protests to demand their rights. I urge the International Community to take urgent action for freedom of imprisoned teachers.

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) November 16, 2018

The Teachers’ Trade Organizations’ Coordination Council released a statement on Thursday about the arrests. The statement, which was published on the trade union’s Telegram account, read:

“Activists were summoned to the Intelligence Agency, Revolutionary Guards Corps Intelligence Department, Protection Agencies and Security Police in almost all the provinces that participated in the strikes. At least 30 activists, including Eskandar Lotfi, a member of the Iran Teachers’ Coordination Council, were summoned and interrogated, while more than 50 threatening messages were received by activists.”

According to the Council, the November strikes were intended to pressure the regime to implement promised reforms and end mismanagement of the educational system. The teachers went on strike in spite of the regime’s threats and its history of arresting and imprisoning teacher activists.

The Teachers’ Trade Organizations’ Coordination Council condemned the crackdown on activists and the arrests of teachers, warning that the regime could face consequences for these arrests. They then called for the release of the arrested teachers and an end to its practice of arbitrarily. arresting union members.

Their statement read: “It is obvious that if the suppression continues, the Coordination Council deems necessary the right hold legal protests based on the constitution.”

The nationwide strikes by Iran’s teachers took place on November 13th and November 14th to protest low pay, the regime’s failure to implement policy changes, and poor benefits. The teachers also demanded the release of their colleagues who were arrested during the previous round of strikes in October.

The nationwide strikes spread quickly, with 40 cities taking part in the protest on the second day. Since the popular uprising began in Iran last December, the MEK has mobilized protests across the country. MEK’s resistance units, have allowed protests to grow and spread before the regime can suppress them. It has also allowed activists to gets news of the Resistance outside of the country to supporters.

The following is a list of those who have been arrested, according to reports from the Teachers’ Trade Organizations’ Coordination Council and other activist groups:

• Mohammad Reza Ramezanzadeh, Secretary of the Iran Teachers’ Trade Association in North Khorasan Province, was arrested on Monday after his home was raided.
• Saied Hagh Parast, Ali Forotan, Hamidreza Rajaie, and Hossein Ramezanpour were arrested. They are board members of the North Khorasan Teachers’ Association.
• Pirouz Nami and Ali Korushat were detained in Khuzestan Province. They are both activists.
• Mohammad Robati and Ms. Vaezi were arrested in Shirvan.
• Mohammad Ali Zahmatkesh, Mohammad Kord and Fatemeh Bahmani were arrested in Fars and Arak.

Staff Writer

Based on reports from the MEK network inside Iran, on Tuesday, November 13, 2018 teachers in Iran went on strike again. The nationwide strike is the second this year for the country’s teachers, who have cited poverty-level wages and the imprisonment of their colleagues as factors leading to the strike.

The strike was planned by the Iranian Teachers’ Association, which is the largest independent teachers’ union in Iran. The trade union has been active in Iran for almost twenty years.

A report on #Iran's teachers launching a new nationwide strike.#IranProtestshttps://t.co/UzbvDqlnzp

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) November 13, 2018

The strikes are spreading rapidly, but as of this writing teachers have refused to enter their classrooms in Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz, Tabriz, Kermanshah, Yazd, Bushehr, Karaj, Ilam, Ardabil, Baneh, Saqqez, Marivan, Ivan Gharb, Saveh, Hamedan, Sanandaj, Shahin Shahr, Shahr-e Kord, Jolfa, Babol, Lamerd, Chaboksar, Nowshahr, and many other cities. The total number of cities on strike has risen to 31 so far and continues to increase.

The MEK network has shared images on social media of striking teachers in Iran holding signs of protest. One of the signs says, “We are on strike to guarantee a better future for our students.”

November 13
Teachers throughout #Iran are on a nationwide strike, protesting poor living conditions & their colleagues' apprehension

Kermanshah#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/AL3O2g6M02

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) November 13, 2018

The striking teachers are protesting poor wages, low pensions, lack of adequate insurance, the inability to form unions, the plundering of the Teachers Fund, and the failure of authorities to implement the National Management Services Law, which was signed in 2006.

The teachers are also demanding that their imprisoned colleagues be released and all charges against them be dropped. They are further asking the regime for assurances that their safety will be guaranteed and that they will be allowed to return to work after the strike.

Striking teachers have good reason to ask for guarantees of safety. In October, the retired teacher and activist Hashem Khastar was abducted near his farm in Mashhad by IRGC agents and taken to a psychiatric hospital after participating in protests in support of teachers and writing letters open letters critical of the regime. Mr. Khastar has no history of mental illness, and his family was given no reason for his abduction and was not allowed to visit him.

Activist Teacher Abducted by Iranian Regime

Iran’s teachers last went on strike on October 14-15th in dozens of cities in protest of low wages and oppressive security measures, as well as the imprisonment of their activist colleagues. The regime largely ignored their demands, forcing the teachers to strike again.

Staff Writer

Teachers in Iran went on strike on Sunday, October 14th, refusing to enter their classrooms. They are protesting poor working conditions, low pay, and suppression of teacher rights, among other indignities.

Mrs. @Maryam_Rajavi saluted the striking teachers across the country and said:
The teachers' strike, following the drivers and merchants’ strike, points out the public anger and hatred toward the religious dictatorship.https://t.co/20SrlbbZyk #IranProtests #Iran pic.twitter.com/dEZ4QovUm7

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) October 14, 2018

The strike began in Tehran and quickly spread to provinces across Iran, including Alborz, Isfahan, East Azarbaijan, West Azarbaijan, Fars, Khorasan Razavi, North Khorasan, Kurdistan, Kermanshah, Semnan, Qazvin, Mazandaran, Hamedan, Yazd, Markazi, Lorestan, Ilam, Bushehr, Chahar Mahal and Bakhtiari, and Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmed.

The striking teachers cite a variety of concerns. The teachers work for poverty-level salaries and have limited purchasing power as prices increase daily. Benefits are poor or nonexistent, teachers lack efficient and comprehensive insurance, and teachers’ trust reserves have been looted. Teachers have also been deprived of their rights to stand up for themselves. Independent unions are banned, and union and cultural activists have been imprisoned or fired. Agreed-upon plans have not been implemented, such as the Public Service Management Act of 2016, the rating plan, and the full-time teachers plan.

#Iran: Teachers stage nationwide strikes and sit-ins across Iran against their harsh living conditions where they have to live below the poverty line. https://t.co/oo8nY2UJvj

— NCRIWomen'sCommittee (@womenncri) October 14, 2018

Finally, the striking teachers are angry that students suffer that the principle of a free education for all is not being honored. Schools are not standard, nor are they secure. Educational standards have plummeted sharply over the past few years, materials are insufficient, classrooms are overcrowded, and schools are underfunded.

 

Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the Iranian opposition, commended the protesting teachers who are standing up to the corrupt regime. She said, “The catastrophic situation of the employed and retired teachers is the product of the repressive policies of the anti-cultural regime of the mullahs, and as long as this regime is in power, it will even get worse.”

The disastrous state of working and retired teachers is a product of the mullahs’ policies, discouraging education but encouraging plunder and repression. So long as the clerical regime is in power, the situation would only get worse. #FreeIran2018

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) October 14, 2018

Mrs. Rajavi called upon the people of Iran, particularly the young people, to stand with Iran’s teachers. The teachers are the most recent group to stage a large-scale strike in Iran. They join the country’s truck drivers and merchants in striking against the regime. Mrs. Rajavi emphasized in her statement that this series of strikes showed a “flare of fury of public anger and hatred toward a regime that has only brought torture and execution, war and terrorism, poverty and unemployment, and corruption and plundering for the people of Iran.”

Staff Writer

 

 

 

Reports from MEK network inside Iran indicate a major rise in protests in Iran in comparison to the month of April. A report by “our Iran” confirms the rise in protests in the month of May.

Our Iran published a summary highlighting the increase in protest activities in May. The month of May saw protests spread like wildfire across Iran’s urban and rural population. 1093 individual protests took place, an average of 35 a day, with people from all walks of Iran’s population putting down their work and taking part. Poultry workers stood aside truck drivers, laborers, and teachers, united in their shared disgust for the tyrannical regime.

#Report #Briefing #Iran #Protests At A Glance – #May2018 #FreeIran #IranProtests #RegimeChange #FreeAllProtesters #FreeIran2018 #IranRegimeChange #IranStrike #IranNationalStrikes @Ouriran96 https://t.co/RvRLVLvC44

— Our Iran (@Ouriran96) June 6, 2018

There has been a marked increase in protest activity. April saw an average of 15 protests a day across Iran. May more than doubled this figure. The bulk of the May protests came from striking truck drivers, whose strikes affected 285 of Iran’s cities.

Striking Truck Drivers

Between May 22^nd and June 2^nd, heavy vehicle drivers in all 31 of Iran’s provinces put down their keys and turned off their engines in an act of defiance. They had plenty to protest. The mullahs have increased insurance prices, highway tolls, and cargo commission rates, in a thinly-veiled attempt to further line their own pockets. Illegal charges, job shortages, and exorbitant vehicle repair prices left the truck drivers with little money for themselves.

The plight of the nation’s truck drivers attracted the attention of other industry sectors. The leader of Iran opposition, Maryam Rajavi, pledged her support and encouraged others to stand with the drivers in a gesture of solidarity. As a result, taxi drivers, minibus drivers, and petrol truck delivery drivers joined the strike, leaving gas stations empty and long queues of cars waiting to fill up.

Tehran’s Taxi Drivers Strike

Taxi drivers at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Airport also put down their keys to protest their inability to enter the traffic area to pick up patrons. Their plight also inspired others, with taxi drivers across Iran joining their cause, and that of the truck drivers. Taxi drivers in a total of 11 provinces joined the strike in protest at their own appalling working conditions.

A Wide Array of Labour Protests

May saw no less than 249 individual labor protests across 62 of Iran’s cities. The majority of these were born from discontent over non-payment of salaries, unfair dismissals, and closures of factories. Railway workers, coal miners, sugarcane workers and factory workers were among those that coordinated strikes against the regime.

Protestors from Plundered Investors

38 separate protests came from plundered investors. These investors lost their savings after the mullahs looted credit institutions. In Rasht, angry protestors tore down a statue of the head of the central bank of Iran, Saif. In Tehran, demonstrators threw eggs and tomatoes at the doors of the monetary prosecutor’s office, the Trade Bank, and the Future Bank. In another protest, investors conducted a sit-in outside the Central Bank. They blocked the street, and cars prevented cars from moving.

Protests from the Elderly

On May 11^th, the retired population of Iran took to the streets to vent frustrations of their own. Pensioners in Iran frequently do not receive payments, and when they do, they are so meagre that they are forced to live in appalling conditions. Retired teachers, steelworkers, and petrochemical workers took to the streets to demand a fairer and more reliable pension system.

Teachers Protests

Teachers accounted for 38 protests across 34 cities in May, a fivefold increase of teacher strike activity for April. The Council for the Coordination of Teachers Organizations called on teachers across Iran to strike over unpaid wages, discrimination, and limited job stability. Like the MEK, the Council has been instrumental in coordinating resistance to the clerical regime.

The teachers faced a violent response from the regime’s agents. They targeted the striking education workers and beat them up, targeting female teachers. Many of those in attendance, including members of the Teacher’s Association, were arrested for their involvement in the protests.

Student Resistance

Iran’s student population was also vocal in its criticism of the clerical regime. They raged against systematic corruption, the regime’s involvement in university affairs, the plundering of student’s tuition, cutting educational terms, and the unplanned movement of university locations. 12 cities saw student protests in May, showing a renewed determination from Iran’s youth to risk their lives and their freedom to have their opinions heard.

Tehran’s Market Strike

On May 12^th, Iran’s shopkeepers and market stall owners closed their stalls and shops for business. They were protesting a high exchange rate and significant price fluctuations, causing economic uncertainty for them and their families.

Iconic shopping areas of Tehran were deserted. The Kuwaiti Bazaar, Sadaf Passage, sections of Cyrus Street, and the Aladdin Passage were among the areas affected by the strike. Merchants in Baneh continued their strike after the closure of border crossings impacted their supply routes. They lifted the strike after the regime promised to address their demands. However, when the regime failed to deliver any reforms, they merchants and shopkeepers of Baneh resumed their strike on May 15^th, in solidarity with their brothers and sisters in Tehran.

Kazerun’s Protests

Kazerun became the site of clashes between the regime’s forces and the enraged Iranian public. After protestors gathered to air their discontent at plans to divide the city, the Iranian security forces opened fire on those in attendance. Four citizens were killed, starting a period of public mourning which saw the local amenities shuttered.

The people got their wish. The government backed down on its plans to divide the city. However, it cost four martyrs their lives and many more their freedom after the authorities carried out widespread arrests.

Shahrud’s Protests

Merchants at the Shahrud Grand Bazaar went on strike over the regime’s proposal to move the Roads and Transport Department out of Shahrud. The Iranian authorities wanted to move the government department to Semnan, taking with it many of Shahrud’s employment opportunities. After intense public pressure, the regime conceded and backed down on its plans to move the department.

Naser Malek Motie’s Funeral

On May 27^th, the Iranian public turned out for the funeral of Iranian film icon, Naser Malek Motie. The actor and cinematographer suffered at the hands of the Iranian regime throughout his life and represented a beacon for supporters of the opposition movement. The funeral soon turned into an anti-government protest as those in attendance began chanting anti-government slogans. Agents loyal to the regime attempted to disperse the crowd, firing tear gas, however, the brave mourners would not be moved.

The tireless work of the MEK orchestrated the May protests, providing Iran’s youth with a beacon of hope for a brighter future for Iran. The growing number of protests in May shows the burning desire for regime change in Iran, despite all the repressive measures has not changed, but grown by 233% in comparison to the protests in April.

Staff Writer