Eight teachers’ union activists sentenced to over eight years in prison in Kerman

Hengaw – Monday, August 4, 2025

Eight teachers’ union activists from Kerman province—Fatemeh Yazdani, Mitra Nikpour, Zahra Azizi, Leila Afshar, Shahnaz Rezaei Sharifabadi, Majid Naderi, Hossein Rashidi Zarandi, and Mohammadreza Behzadpour—have been collectively sentenced to eight years and six months of prison by the Islamic Republic of Iran’s judiciary.

According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, five of the activists—Fatemeh Yazdani, Mitra Nikpour, Zahra Azizi, Leila Afshar, and Shahnaz Rezaei Sharifabadi—were each sentenced by Branch 1 of the Kerman Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Hadi Aghaeipour, to six months in prison for “membership in an anti-government group with the intent to disrupt national security” and an additional four months for “propaganda against the state.”

Majid Naderi was sentenced to one year for “membership in an anti-government group with the intent to disrupt national security”, four months for “propaganda against the state”, and four months for “insulting Ali Khamenei”

Hossein Rashidi Zarandi was sentenced to one year for “membership in an anti-government group with the intent to disrupt national security”, and four months for “insulting Ruhollah Khomeini and Ali Khamenei”

Mohammadreza Behzadpour received one year for “membership in an anti-government group with the intent to disrupt national security”, and Four months for “propaganda against the state”

These eight union activists were summoned to the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office in Kerman on June 9, 2024. Earlier, in May 2022, Mohammadreza Behzadpour, Majid Naderi, and Hossein Rashidi were arrested by security forces in Kerman and released after several days on bail.