Human Watch Rights has said Iran has arrested around 40 teachers across the country and called for their release since the May 1 protests.
referring to the reformist emtedady The news website, Sentinel, said that as of May 1, Iranian authorities had arrested 38 teachers.
At least 17 of them are still in custody, including Iranian Teachers Trade Association (ITTA) spokesman Mohammad Habibi, the watchdog reported on Thursday.
It said the arrests came after the Coordinating Council of Iranian Cultural Teachers Associations called for a nationwide protest on May 1 on the eve of National Teachers’ Day.
Tara Sephari Far, senior researcher at HRW, said, “Iranian authorities have sought to re-enforce people to assert their collective rights rather than work with independent unions to ensure respect for the economic and social rights of Iranians.” has decided.”
“Peaceful mobilization and attempts to quell protests will not remove Iran’s gloomy economic reality,” she said.
Iranian teachers have repeatedly taken to the streets in recent months to protest the conditions and the arrests of colleagues.
Teachers have demanded for months that the government expedite the implementation of reforms that will better reflect their salary, their experience and performance.
In April, an Iranian court sentenced teachers union activist Rasool Bodaghi to five years in prison for “illegal gathering” and “propaganda”.
Norway-based Iran human rights NGO said at the time that Bodaghi was indicted in “the intensity of the crackdown on civil society in Iran”.
Iran has faced tough economic sanctions by the United States in 2018 after Washington unilaterally withdrew from a deal with world powers over Iran’s nuclear program.
The Islamic republic has seen inflation climb to more than 40%, with a huge impact on the standard of living of public sector employees and others with fixed incomes.
According to HRW, Iranian authorities have cracked down on “activist teachers” since the start of the Iranian new year in March.
More than a dozen have been called for questioning and many have been arrested, while others have been charged, convicted or imprisoned.
Undermining “national security” was usually the main charge before him.
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