NCRI – Teachers’ protests in various cities continue in Iran. According to information received many teachers have stopped work in support of their protesting colleagues in Tehran.
On Thursday, majority of teachers refused to convene their classes in north western cities of Orumieh and Ardebil.
Today, the Minister of Education in mullahs’ regime unexpectedly announced the schools closure; officially marking the beginning of the Iranian New Year’s holidays for students. However, it was announced earlier that schools holidays would begin on Monday, March 19.
Deputy Chief of the regime’s State Security Forces (SSF), Brig. Gen. Hossein Zolfaqari threatened the teachers and said, “Teachers’ problems has been addressed and there is no need for their gatherings…several instigators have been arrested. But I do not have the exact figure of [teachers] detained,” the state-run news agency ISNA reported on March 16.
There are reports that hundreds of striking teachers have been detained and beaten under interrogation over the past few days in Tehran.
On March 15, the Minister of Education, Mahmoud Farshidi brazenly said, “I am not aware of teachers being arrested and since I have no information about it, I totally deny it…the country is in such a state that they want to create crisis for it. Disseminating information about teachers being arrested in a system that takes pride in its religious popularity, is only intended to undermine the regime’s credibility,” the state-run news agency ILNA reported on March 15.
The Iranian Resistance’s President-elect Mrs. Maryam Rajavi hailed the uprising teachers in the country and called on all students as well as youths to support the Iranian teachers. She called on all international human rights organizations as well as teachers’ unions to condemn the suppressive measures by the Iranian regime against teachers and try to free detainees.
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
March 17, 2007