Reports from Iran indicate that head of the Teachers’ Organization, Alireza Hashemi, has been arrested and transferred to Evin Prison in connection with a court sentence issued against him five years ago.
ILNA quotes a spokesperson for the organization saying that in 2010, the head of the organization was handed a five-year prison sentence for what he described as “pursuing the rights of teachers and families who visit jailed teachers”.
The report indicates that he was charged with “assembly and collusion against national security” and “propaganda against the regime”.
Hashemi was reportedly arrested on Sunday April 19 at his home.
ILNA writes that Hashemi was previously arrested in 2006 at a teachers’ protest in front of Parliament. He was reportedly sentenced to three years in jail, but the sentence was withdrawn upon appeal.
Teachers across Iran have been engaged in widespread protests in recent months, demanding that their wages be brought into line with those of other government employees.
