Ei-iE

Education International (EI) has launched a LabourStart appeal for Iranian teacher unionist Mahmoud Beheshti Langroodi who has been on hunger strike since 26 November to protest against his unfair trial and subsequent nine-year prison sentence.

Langroodi’s health has severely deteriorated since then.

In a statement from the Evin Prison released on 2 December, he announced: “I, Mahmoud Beheshti Langroodi, who have spent 25 years of my life teaching the children of this land, and have more than 15 years of union activism in support of our esteemed teachers, have been on hunger strike since November 26 to protest against an unjust verdict of nine years’ imprisonment by Judge Salavati in a trial that lasted a few minutes. I am hoping that authorities, especially judicial authorities, after hearing my cry for justice, take actions to vacate the prison sentence until a judicial review by a competent court with a jury is conducted publically.”

Other unionists jailed

Arrested again on 6 September 2015, Langroodi is one of the six members of the Coordinating Council of the Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations (CCITTA), affiliated to EI, in jail. The five others are:

• Alireza Hashemi, detained since 2007
• Abdolreza Ghanbari, detained since January 2010. Initially sentenced to death for enmity against God, a Revolutionary Court commuted his sentence to a 15-year imprisonment in June 2013
• Rasoul Bodaghi, detained since September 2009. Despite finishing his six-year jail term, new charges have been brought against him and he has recently been given an additional three-year jail sentence
• Ali Akbar Baghani, detained since April 2010
• Esmael Abdi, jailed since 27 June 2015

In recent months, the Iranian government has increased the repression of teachers, trying to keep as many leading members of Iranian teachers’ associations as possible in prison.

Rallies

Iranian teachers organised several rounds of nationwide rallies in January, March, May and July 2015, to protest against their low wages. Iranian teachers have been calling for free education for all and strongly oppose the privatisation and commercialisation of the education system.  And they demand that all classes meet internationally recognised standards.

However, they have paid a heavy price for promoting these demands. Their last day of action on 22 July was crushed by security forces and over 100 teachers were arrested.

EI support

EI voiced its support for colleagues in Iran with the Resolution on Iran adopted at the 7th EI World Congress in July 2015 in Ottawa, Canada. The Resolution condemns acts of intimidation targeting teachers and unionists, and calls on the Iranian authorities to commit to fully respecting international labour standards.

EI will continue to advocate the release from prison of Iranian teacher trade unionists who have been imprisoned unjustly, and these calls will continue to be made, including during a possible mission to Iran.

You can sign the LabourStart appeal for the Iranian teacher unionist Mahmoud Beheshti Langroodi here