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After 1,277 days of weaponised detention, French teacher trade unionists Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris are now safe within the French embassy in Tehran. While news of their conditional release was received with great joy by Education International and its member organisations, the Iranian government continues to persecute education unionists. Many unionists remain in jail, and more are being violently detained.

Both Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris are part of Education International through their respective unions. Colleagues around the world expressed immense relief following their release on bail from Evin prison.

At the same time, the global education community was alarmed by news of the violent detention of Jahangir Rostami, a 63-year-old retired Kurdish teacher and member of the Harsin Teachers’ Association in Iran’s Kermanshah Province.

Retired teacher unionist brutally arrested

Rostami was arrested at his home by Iranian security forces on 17 October 2025. No formal charges against him have been made public. His family and supporters are deeply concerned for his health and safety, and the reported use of detainees as leverage against their relatives.

According to multiple human rights organisations, including the Kurdistan Human Rights Network, the arrest was carried out with excessive force. Witnesses report that Rostami was beaten during the raid and subsequently transferred to Tehran’s Evin Prison. His injuries, particularly to the face and head, were reportedly so severe that even local judicial authorities expressed concern. 

The arrest of Jahangir Rostami is part of a broader campaign of intimidation targeting teacher unionists and Kurdish activists. Rostami’s son, Ehsan Rostami, a publisher, and his nephew, Ramin Rostami, a cultural activist, have been detained since August 20. 

Jahangir Rostami’s arrest has sent new shockwaves through Iran’s teacher union community. As a long-time member of the Harsin Teachers’ Association, a member of the Coordinating Council for Iranian Teacher Trade Associations affiliated to Education International, he was widely respected for his professional dedication and union activism. 

His detention underscores the increasingly perilous conditions faced by educators and unionists in Iran, particularly those from ethnic minority communities.

Education International immediately requested the immediate and unconditional release of Jahangir Rostami, full access to independent legal counsel and communication with family, and more broadly for the Iranian authorities to respect the rights of public school teachers to organise and engage in civic and professional activism. 

Teachers detained for “propaganda against the regime”

Education International also shared a list of ten other teacher union leaders from five provinces who are currently detained for “propaganda against the regime”. Four detained teacher unionists are from the province of Khorasan, and two from Khuzestan, both provinces with large minority communities.

The list was submitted to the International Labour Organization to update the complaint on freedom of association, and also to inform the United Nations Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Iran whose report will be discussed at the 61st session of the UN Human Rights Council in April 2026.