Freedom for Iranian Teachers’ Union Leader Esmail Abdi
The Honorable Ms. Asma Jilani Jahangir
UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights
In the Islamic Republic of Iran,
OHCHR-Palais Wilson
52 rue des Pâquis
CH-1201 Geneva, Switzerland
Re: Freedom for Iranian Teachers’ Union Leader Esmail Abdi
Your Excellency,
As you are fully aware and have reported accordingly, many Iranians are frequently arrested merely for voicing their objections to everyday-life’s difficulties and/or violations of their most basic human rights. According to Human Rights Watch’s World Report of 2017, the Iranian government continues to strongly restrict free speech and dissent; authorities continue to arrest journalists, bloggers, and online media activists for exercising their right of expression; and Iranian dual nationals and citizens returning from abroad have been targeted for arbitrary arrests, interrogation and incarceration by the security authorities.
Upon arrest, citizens are often charged with false and groundless allegations. Charges have included “Western agents,” “warring against Islam,” “colluding national security,” “propaganda against the regime,” “enmity against God,” “insulting the Prophet,” and “insulting government officials.”
Next, they are tried in kangaroo tribunals and courts, restricted from lawyer-access during investigation; convicted (possibly based on confessions obtained under torture); imprisoned and, in some cases, executed. Human rights organizations have reported as many as 437 executions in 2016—most of which took place in the second half of the year; many classified as nonviolent crimes[i].
While in the infamous prisons of the Islamic Republic, prisoners face extremely cruel and inhumane conditions including lack of adequate and timely medical care. As a last resort, said prisoners might attempt to protest their confinement with the only means possible—a hunger strike—to acquire the attention of human rights advocates and the international community.
Among the many thousands of political prisoners now rotting away, is Esmail Abdi, an Iranian human rights activist and a member of the teacher’s union board who has been imprisoned solely for protesting the deplorable conditions with which the country’s teachers are confronted every day. He was arrested under fabricated charges of “assembly with intent to create public disturbance,” and “propaganda against the regime.” He was sentenced by Judge Abbass Pir-Abbassi[ii] to serve a six-year prison term.
In a recent letter, Esmail Abdi protested sentences handed down against union activists, guilds and syndicatesunder the dubious charge of “national security,” which carries harsher sentences and penalties. Further, he requested that his case be tried not as a “national security” but a civic matter. On April 30, 2017, Mr. Abdi started a hunger strike, which he aims to continue until his reasonable and legitimate requests are granted.
In his letter, Esmail Abdi further indicated that arresting teachers and/or labor representatives is a violation of the universal standards as defined by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the International Labour Organization that the Islamic Republic of Iran has either joined or to which it is a signatory. Mr. Abdi has also noted that the arbitrary arrest of teachers has even increased during the “reformist” presidency of Hassan Rohani.
According to the most recent statistics released by the Statistical Center of Iran, the average monthly cost of living for an urban family of four is $863.00 which is also the poverty line marker. A teacher’s monthly salary is $431.00. Therefore, a teacher with a family of four is unable to have acceptable living and housing conditions, let alone workers and welfare benefits. Yet, Iranian teachers continue to be present in their classrooms to serve the interests of their students.
Unfortunately, the future of education in Iran is unclear, as the teachers’ pension trust has not been funded for many months. In an environment where innocent activists of syndicates and labour unions, journalists, teachers and other civic dissidents are routinely intimidated, harassed, arrested, interrogated, tortured and incarcerated, corrupt regime officials and representatives raid their pension and welfare benefit funds.
Years of mismanagement by corrupt political and economic institutions and individuals have driven the Iranian people’s pension funds to the brink of bankruptcy. According to Raja news, the treasurer of the teacher’s retirement fund has embezzled $3.6 billion. These individuals who participate in institutional embezzlement and international money laundering not only threaten not the economic security of the people of Iran, but also pose an indisputable threat to international security. The Free World must actively confront and address these pressing issues.
It is with an emphasis on the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and a nonviolent solution for the future of Iran that we seek moral support from, and engagement of, the international community in condemning Iran’s actions and demanding the immediate and unconditional release of all prisoners of conscience.
We appeal to your high office and the international community to join our campaign at #UnityforFreedom. Also, we invite you to become the voice of Iranian teachers and support their rightful demands by joining us at #FreeEsmailAbdi.
We sincerely thank you for your support and attention to this urgent humanitarian matter.
Very truly yours,
Nazila Golestan
Special Envoy for Human Rights
Iran National Council for Free Elections
[i] Human Rights Watch. World Report 2017. https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2017/country-chapters/iran.
[ii] Abbass Pir-Abbasi1 is a Judge for the Tehran Revolutionary Court, branches 26 and 28 according to the Official Journal of the European Union (https://goo.gl/zyX0wl). Pir-Abbassi oversees post-election cases. He commonly issues long-termprison sentences during the unfair trials against human rights activists and has imposeddeath sentences in several cases. In April 2011, the European Union named Abbass Pir-Abbassi as an individual subject to sanctions for human rights violations.