Hamedan Teachers' Association: The path of teachers' demands for rights will not be diverted by "scenario-making"
In a statement, the Hamadan Teachers' Association, supporting the imprisoned teachers and protesting against the "filing of cases" against them, warned the authorities that "neglect and disregard for the demands of the educational community will lead to deepening protests and spreading dissatisfaction."
According to the Iranian Teachers' Union Channel, the statement, which was released on Sunday, June 28, emphasized that the authorities "cannot divert the path of the country's educators' demand for justice through such unjust accusations."
"Failure to respond to the legitimate, legal, and logical demands of Iran's honorable educators has become a practice that the government and parliament have been following without hesitation in recent years, and to escape their legal responsibilities, they have chosen the easiest way, which is to erase the issue."
The statement emphasized the need to "eliminate discrimination and injustice" regarding the rights of educators and free education, adding: "Instead of trying to release educators' union activists from prison, the minister is trying to intimidate the educators' community (by) filing charges and creating a protective atmosphere so that they will stop pursuing their and their students' demands."
Referring to the "constant creation of scenarios and making false accusations, such as the enemy's misuse of the protests or the accusation that union activists have connections with other countries," the Hamedan Teachers' Association has stated that these accusations "are not only not accepted by the educational community, but also prolong the protest process."
The statement, naming imprisoned teachers including Rasoul Badaghi, Eskandar Lotfi, Shaban Mohammadi, Masoud Nikkhah, Ismail Abdi, Jafar Ebrahimi, Mohammad Habibi, and Mohammad Fallahi, emphasized that the imprisoned teachers “from Fars to Bushehr, Khuzestan, and Khorasan are among the most genuine, compassionate, and purest children of Iran, and there is no accusation against them. They deserve to be honored and appreciated, not imprisoned and punished. These compassionate teachers have been and are merely reflecting the voice of the country’s educators’ demand for justice.”
On May 16, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) broadcast a report accusing two French citizens detained in Iran of “contacting” union activists and attempting to create “chaos” and “destabilize society.” The television reports were attributed to the Ministry of Intelligence. The report also featured photos and videos that purportedly showed the two French citizens meeting with some teachers’ and workers’ rights activists.
The union activists in these photos met with Cecile Kohler and her husband Jacques Parry, two French citizens. The visitors include Reza Shahabi, Rasoul Badaghi, Eskandar Lotfi, and Masoud Nikkhah, who have been arrested in recent days.
Last week, the Iranian Writers' Association considered the arrest of a number of teachers' rights activists and labor activists following the Ministry of Intelligence's case-finding as a sign of the Islamic Republic's fear.
Source: Voice of America
