Heavy Sentences Issued Against 14 Teachers for Union and Civic Activities
Ahwaz Human Rights Center – UK on the Escalation of Repression Against Teachers in Kurdistan
Heavy Sentences Issued Against 14 Teachers for Union and Civic Activities
The Ahwaz Human Rights Center – UK expresses deep concern over the ongoing structural and systematic repression of union and civic activists in Kurdistan, under the control of the central government of Iran, and strongly condemns the punitive rulings issued against 14 Kurdish teachers. These individuals, who were solely engaged in defending their union rights, have faced penalties such as dismissal, forced retirement, suspension from service, exile, and demotion.
These actions, which are in clear violation of international human rights covenants — including the freedom of association, freedom of expression, and the right to equal employment — reflect the continuation of a systematic campaign of repression targeting union and civic groups among the non-Persian peoples in Kurdistan.
On 29 Mordad 1404 (August 19, 2025), the Kurdistan Teachers’ Union announced that four members of its Divandarreh branch — Mr. Parviz Ahsani, Mr. Kaveh Mohammadzadeh, Mr. Hiwa Qureshi, and Mr. Omid Shah-Mohammadi — were dismissed from their positions due to union-related activities.
In Saqqez, Shahram Karimi was sentenced to six months’ suspension, Loghmanollah Moradi to one year’s suspension, and Soleiman Abdi to forced retirement along with a demotion in professional rank.
In Sanandaj, Majid Karimi (with 23 years of service), Ghiyas Nemati (17 years), and Salah Hajimirzaei (26 years) were either permanently or temporarily dismissed from service. Nasrin Karimi, with 27 years of service, was also forced into early retirement with a reduction in job classification.
Leila Zarei, with 30 years of service, was removed from her role as assistant principal and forced into retirement with demotion, while Faisal Nouri, with 19 years of experience, was exiled to Kermanshah for a period of five years.
The Ahwaz Human Rights Center – UK considers these actions part of the Iranian government’s discriminatory and premeditated policy to silence independent voices among non-Persian nations — a policy mirrored in Ahwaz, Kurdistan, Baluchistan, Southern Azerbaijan, and other non-Persian regions.
The Ahwaz Human Rights Center – UK calls on international human rights organizations, teachers’ unions worldwide, and civil society groups to condemn these serious violations and take urgent and effective action in defense of the right to organize, freedom of expression, and the human dignity of teachers and union activists in Kurdistan.
20 August 2025 / 29 Mordad 1404
Ahwaz Human Rights Center – UK
https://acfh.info
