Iran: Protest Gatherings of Teachers in 13 Provinces and Beating of Teachers in Sanandaj

iran teachers protests 09052023 (1)
Written by
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)

NCRI logoTeachers in 13 provinces across the country gathered in protest today, Tuesday, May 9, despite heightened security measures. The demonstrators protested the violation of their basic rights, the arrest of fellow teachers, the lack of ranking and equalization of salaries, and more.

Teachers protested the non-implementation of the rating law, which was intended to encourage teachers but has instead become a tool for obedience. They protested waiting for over a decade for equalization of pensioners’ wages, experiencing psychological insecurity, and threats posed to students’ physical health, particularly female students. Additionally, union activists have faced continued filing and security pressures.

The protests took place in Tehran in front of the regime’s parliament, as well as in Rasht, Ardabil, Jolfa, Torbat Heydarieh, Arak, Qazvin, Takestan, Isfahan, Kermanshah, Islamabad Gharb, Harsin, Ahvaz, Khuzestan, Abdanan, Sanandaj, Hamadan, Shush, and outside the education departments of the provinces.

Teachers chanted slogans like “Free the imprisoned teachers,” “Teachers would die, but never accepts humiliation,” and “No more hollow promises; our tables are empty”. They carried placards with messages such as “The people suffer greatly from high prices and inflation,” ” Cease the filing of cases against activists of the teachers’ union,” and “Prison is not a place for a teacher; the answer to demands is not putting behind bars.” Protesters in some cities also chanted slogans like “Death to the oppressor, be it the Shah or the Leader (Khamenei),” “Hail to Rajavi,” “Teachers are vigilant and hates the Shah and the Sheikh.”

In Sanandaj, the teachers were unable to gather in the main location due to a large number of anti-riot agents, so they formed several smaller groups. However, one of these groups on Taleghani Street was beaten by repressive agents. In response, the teachers confronted the agents with the slogan “SSF (State Security Force), you are our ISIS.” The Sanandaj teachers also chanted “Political prisoners should be freed” during their demonstrations. In Hamedan, repressive Harasat agents prevented teachers from gathering outside the Department of Education, but they held their gatherings in the street.

Other protests were also held on May 9. Workers at Behesht Zahra cemetery in Tehran protested the non-payment of their salaries for seven months. Those looted by the Ramak Khodro company in Tehran, municipal workers in Bandar Khomeini, and tile workers in Isfahan also staged gatherings. Workers and employees of Kerman railway and technical facilities continued their strike, which started on May 8, to protest their low salaries.

On May 8, telecom company retirees in Lorestan, Ilam, Makazi, Kermanshah, Gilan, Khuzestan, East Azerbaijan, Razavi Khorasan, Zanjan, Sistan and Baluchistan, Hormozgan, Ardabil, Isfahan, and Kurdistan provinces held protest rallies and marched to pursue their demands. Additionally, students and youth in Kermanshah held a commemoration for revolutionary teacher Farzad Kamangar and his martyred companions by lighting fire and chanting “Freedom, freedom, freedom” and “Death to Khamenei.”

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)

May 9, 2023

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