Crackdown On Activists, Teachers Continues In Iran

Sedigheh Vasmaghi, a writer and Islam researcher, known for her stance against mandatory hijab, shared her experience after her arrest at the funeral on the Zeytoon website.

She said: "Two women were also among the attackers, dressed in uniform under their veils. The four assailants began their assault. One was shouting, one was trying to take my bag, and one was hitting me while uttering indecent language."

Referring to the death of Armita, a girl who, like Mahsa Amini, died in the hands of morality police, Vasmaghi added: "I asked them, 'You have taken one life, and her memorial is here. Do you intend to take mine here as well?' They forcibly dragged me for about ten to fifteen meters."

The burial and memorial service for Armita took place in Tehran last Sunday, with several more attendees arrested. Among them was also Nasrin Sotoudeh, a prominent human rights lawyer and activist, detainees all reportedly subjected to physical abuse during their apprehension.

On the day of the funeral, reports received by Iran International indicated that Vasmaghi was attacked by security officers after departing the ceremony. However, with the assistance of concerned citizens, she managed to escape the clutches of four male and female attackers.

Despite a week having passed since the assault by security forces, the status of some detainees remains unknown. Negar Ostad Agha, a journalist and senior editor at Etemad Online is currently detained in Gharchak Prison near Tehran, with no specific information available regarding her situation.

The Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers' Trade Associations declared on Sunday that the trial begins on January 10 in the second branch of the Revolutionary Court in Shahr-e Rey.

The charges against him are "participation and collusion in committing a crime against domestic/foreign security".

Habibi, known for his involvement in cultural and educational activism, was detained in April by Ministry of Intelligence officers. He was released more than a month later after posting bail from Evin Prison's Ward 209.

The chemical attacks on girls' schools began in November 2022, affecting hundreds of schools and thousands of students.

In the initial months, the Islamic Republic denied the chemical attacks on schools. Later, they downplayed the incidents, shifting blame onto the students for the poisonings. Simultaneously, there was an increase in pressure on the media and civil activists to curtail information dissemination on the matter.

Despite her current house arrest, Rahnavard reiterated her call for an end to compulsory hijab, while drawing parallels between 16-year-old Geravand's death and the deaths of other civilians during nationwide protests last year.

She criticized the Iranian regime, stating "The rulers of Iran, delusionally, see the consolidation of their power in the guise of a few pieces of cloth and a law called compulsory hijab … Each time, they attribute the deaths of these girls to physiological disorders, syncope, underlying illnesses, or suicide.”

Armita Geravand's death last month after enduring a head injury allegedly inflicted by the Islamic Republic's morality police, has drawn significant attention. It echoed the death of Mahsa Amini whose death triggered the nationwide protests which rocked Iran last year. The regime never accepted responsibility for her death.

Pro-regime Kayhan blamed Rahnavard for repeating critical news channels that have reported outside the regime's strict censorship, citing Iran International among them. Earlier this year, threats from regime security forced Iran International to temporarily relocate its London offices to the US.

Iranian officials have also blocked the Internet and restricted access to websites to deny the population news and information.

Kayhan operates under the editorial guidance of Hossein Shariatmadari, a staunch hardliner who enjoys the trust of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. He was personally appointed to oversee the newspaper—a publication widely regarded as one of the regime's most uncompromising media outlets.

He denied it was part of a nationwide "purge" to rid the system of anyone voicing dissent and said under a new program teachers can be recruited without the need for an examination.

Reza Morad Sahraei had previously disclosed that nearly 20,000 school administrators had been replaced this year to "bring about transformations in schools" as the new academic year began. However, he now describes the changes and reassignments as "routine" occurrences that take place every year.

In a conversation with ILNA news agency, he dismissed allegations of "purging" certain administrators, claiming that some are retiring while others are being replaced by new personnel.

The development comes as Jalal Mahmoudzadeh, a Sunni member of the Iranian Parliament, criticized the "purging" by the government. He asserted that in less than five months, 15,000 to 20,000 school administrators had been removed from their positions due to "political and ideological reasons," leaving many children without adequate teaching resources.

Iran has been grappling with a teacher shortage since the beginning of the new academic year. Members of parliament have raised concerns about empty classrooms. Iranian media outlets have reported cases of parents stepping in as temporary educators. A parliamentary education committee member claimed that 100,000 classrooms in Iranian schools are currently without a teacher.

Regarding the extent of the teacher shortage, various figures have emerged in the past few weeks, ranging from 200,000 to 260,000 vacant positions.

Karami has been in detention for more than 70 days, during which security forces have repeatedly raided his home, according to the Follow-up Committee of Iranian Detainees, an independent organization monitoring the status of protesters arrested during anti-regime rallies across the country.

Following the raids, his wife and son were compelled to leave their residence and seek refuge in an undisclosed location, added the report.

Mashallah Karami was arrested on August 22, 2023, one month before the first anniversary of the Iranian people's uprising, when security forces stormed his home.

Human rights organizations and advocacy groups have reported that, during the same period, security forces confiscated electronic devices such as laptops and mobile phones belonging to the Karami family and froze their bank cards.

Regime forces, during Karami's initial arrest and subsequent home raids, vandalized and destroyed memorabilia, plaques, and Karate medals that belonged to Mohammad Mehdi Karami. They also set fire to his clothing. The surrounding area of Mohammad Mehdi Karami's gravesite has also been vandalized.

Additionally, the Karami family has been subjected to severe pressure not to disclose any information about Mashallah Karami's situation. Reports indicate that they have also been deprived of the right to communicate freely and move without restriction. A security officer has been permanently assigned to monitor the family, as stated by the committee.

Mohammad Mehdi Karami was executed on January 7, 2023, along with another protester, Mohammad Hosseini. They were accused of participating in protests and allegedly being involved in the killing of Ruhollah Ajamian, a Basij member present at the 40th-day memorial ceremony for Hadis Najafi, another victim of anti-regime protests in Karaj. Karami was arrested on November 3, 2022, two days after the Basij member was killed.

In the same case, the sentences of imprisonment and exile for eight others were finalized this September. Human rights organizations have repeatedly highlighted concerns about the fairness of the judicial process, citing a lack of evidence and documentation in their cases.

A few days earlier, Mirza Vali Ajamian, the father of Ruhollah Ajamian, expressed his dissatisfaction with the justice served in his son's case during a live television program.

In the program, he demanded the execution of more protesters and stated that Ali Akbar Velayati, a high-ranking official of the Islamic Republic and close to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, has prevented the hanging of other defendants through recommendations to the judiciary. In protest, he left the television studio.

The Iranian regime has been under scrutiny for its actions since the 2022 uprising and the subsequent killing of hundreds of protesters. Security and judicial institutions of the Islamic Republic have been applying substantial pressure on the families of those killed, with recent reports indicating the issuance of long-term prison sentences for several justice-seeking families.