Another Iranian Teacher Activist Handed Prison Term

An Iranian court has sentenced teacher activist Abolfazl Khoran to six years and eight months in prison, as well as 72 lashes, amid what the Coordinating Council of Educators' Trade Unions called the "continuation of repression and intimidation of the teachers' community." 

The council reported that Khoran was also banned from social media activities and exiled to the city of Delfan for two years.

The activist was arrested by agents of the Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on August 5 and detained for 26 days. 

He was released on a 1-billion-toman ($20,000) bail.

Unrest has rattled Iran since the summer of 2022 in response to declining living standards, wage arrears and a lack of welfare support, as the economy deteriorated following years of mismanagement compounded by crippling US sanctions.

The September death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini sparked months of nationwide demonstrations that breathed new life into the labor protest movement.

The Coordinating Council of Educators' Trade Unions said that the only way to calm the protests is to seriously address the demonstrators’ demands.

The issuance of stiff sentences against teacher activists will not deter them from protesting, it insisted.

Over the past years, many teachers' union activists in Iran have been arrested, imprisoned and dismissed from their jobs for criticizing government policies or demanding better working conditions.

Khoran’s sentencing comes amid an intensifying crackdown on dissent, civil society and journalists ahead of the September 16 anniversary of Amini’s death.