Iran detained four teachers across multiple cities, two released later

Hengaw – Monday, February 23, 2026

Iranian authorities have arrested at least four teachers in recent days in the cities of Neyshabur, Abdanan, Arak, and Eslamabad-e Gharb (Shabad), located in Kermanshah Province (Kermashan), Hengaw Organization for Human Rights has learned. Two of the detainees are Kurdish teachers: Yaqoub Mohammadi and Aziz Esmaeili.

Aziz Esmaeili, a member of the board of directors of the Teachers’ Trade Association of Kermanshah, was arrested during a raid on his home in Shabad on Sunday, February 22, 2026, and transferred to an undisclosed location. During the arrest, authorities confiscated the mobile phones of his family members.

According to the Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations, Esmaeili suffers from an underlying medical condition and requires continuous medical care, raising concerns about his condition in detention.

Yaqoub Mohammadi, a Kurdish teacher from Abdanan and a former political prisoner, was arrested with the use of violence and physical assault on Saturday, February 21, 2026. A number of residents gathered outside a local police station in an attempt to prevent his transfer. He was released the following day.

Siavash Hosseini, a 23-year-old teacher, was arrested at the Neyshabur turquoise mine on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, and transferred to Sabzevar Prison.

Ezzatollah Sadeqi, a retired teacher from Arak and head of the Central Province Retirees’ Association, was released from the city’s central prison on Sunday, February 22, after spending 38 days in detention. He had been arrested at his home on Friday, January 16.

Authorities have not disclosed the charges against the four teachers.