Maryam Rajavi condemns the repressive regime in Iran and asks for urgent action to release the detained teachers

On the occasion of Teachers’ Day large groups of teachers and academics staged protests today in dozens of cities and towns in 18 provinces across Iran. They chanted, “Our suffering is your suffering, people join us”, “Teachers are in jail, plunderers are at large”, “Detained teachers must be released” and “Workers, teachers, unite, unite”. Impressive number of women were among protesters.

They carried placards reading, “Free and quality education is the just right of all Iranian children” and “Teachers’ salary is one third of that of poverty line”.

In addition to Tehran, protests took place in Mashhad, Kermanshah, Tabriz, Ahvaz, Sanandaj, Isfahan, Yazd, Urumieh, Qazvin, Shiraz, Karaj, Arak, Hamedan, Ardebil, Sari, Khoram-Abad, Rasht, Ilam, Mahabad, Marivan, Kamyaran, Javanroud, Divandareh, Islam-Abad, Qorveh, Torbat Heydarieh, Mamasani, Boukan, Dehkalan, Saqez, Aligoudarz, Doroud and many other cities.

In Kermanshah the teachers chanted “astronomic wages, public poverty”, “descent life, dignity, our just right” and “all this injustice has never been seen by any nation”. In Karaj demonstrators chanted “Leave alone Syria, think of us”, “we would not back off before getting back our right,” and “teachers are not asleep, they hate discrimination”.
In Ahvaz demonstrators carried placards with slogans “no to class difference, discrimination and injustice”, “teachers are not asleep, they hate injustice.”

In Tehran, suppressive forces tried to disperse the protesters but faced resistance. Number of protesters were arrested.

Maryam Rajavi, greeted the freedom-seeking teachers who have risen for their rights and called on the people, especially students, to support the teachers and their just demands. She also called on international human rights organization and teachers’ unions across the world to condemn the Iranian regime and take urgent action for the release of the arrested and detained teachers.

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
2 May 2019