Kurdish Teacher from Iran’s Kurdistan Province Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison

An Iranian Revolutionary Court has sentenced Shaban Mohammadi, a Kurdish teacher from Marivan city in Kurdistan province, to 5 years in prison. Mohammadi, who is also a member of the board of directors of the Kurdistan Teachers’ Union, was found guilty of “propaganda against Iran, insulting officials, and being a member of the opposition groups of the regime.”

The verdict was issued in absentia on December 8, 2022, and was confirmed objectively by the court. This news was reported by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights (HOHR), which is a non-governmental organization that monitors human rights violations in Kurdish regions.

According to HOHR, Mohammadi and two other Kurdish teachers, Masoud Nikkhah and Iskandar Lotfi, were arrested by security forces who accused them of having connections with two French citizens who were members of the Federation of Education and Culture. The French citizens were also detained by Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence.

This harsh sentence against Mohammadi is another example of the Iranian government’s suppression of freedom of speech and its crackdown on political dissidents. The Kurdish minority in Iran has been a target of discrimination and oppression for decades, and their struggle for autonomy and equal rights has often been met with violence and imprisonment.

Human rights organizations have called for the immediate release of Mohammadi and other political prisoners who have been detained for their beliefs or peaceful activism. It is essential that the Iranian government upholds the human rights of all its citizens, regardless of their ethnicity, religion, or political views.