Hengaw special report – systematic pressure on Kurdistan’s teachers intensifies with dismissal and suspension of more than 14 union members
Hengaw – Thursday, August 21, 2025
A new wave of repression against teachers in Kurdistan has resulted in harsh disciplinary rulings, including dismissals, permanent suspensions, forced retirements, and exile for at least 14 Kurdish teachers in the cities of Sanandaj (Sna), Divandarreh, and Saqqez. These rulings were issued following the visit of a special delegation from the Supreme National Security Council dispatched from Tehran to Kurdistan in the aftermath of the 12-day war between Iran and Israel. The delegation demanded the dismissal of 15 teachers from Kurdistan.
According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, in recent days, under sustained pressure on the Kurdistan Teachers’ Union, seven teachers in Sanandaj received final disciplinary rulings from the Ministry of Education’s appeals board. The details are as follows:
Majid Karimi, from Saqqez (M.A. in Political Science, 23 years of service): permanent dismissal and removal from all government positions.
Ghiyas Nemati (M.A. in Clinical Psychology, 17 years of service): permanent dismissal from the Ministry of Education.
Salah Hajimirzaei (M.A. in History, 26 years of service): one-year dismissal.
Nasrin Karimi (M.A. in Sociology, 27 years of service): forced retirement with two-grade demotion.
Leila Zarei (B.A. in Primary Education, 30 years of service): removal from her deputy principal position and forced retirement with one-grade demotion.
Faisal Nouri, from Ravansar (M.A. in Mathematics, 19 years of service): five-year exile to Kermanshah (Kermashan).
Another teacher, who requested anonymity, had his temporary suspension escalated to permanent dismissal in appeals.
At the same time, pressures have continued in other cities of Kurdistan. In Divandarreh, four active members of the Teachers’ Union faced final rulings by the Ministry of Education’s appeals board for their union activities and advocacy for teachers’ rights:
Parwiz Ehsani: dismissal from service
Kawa Mohammadzadeh: dismissal from service
Hiwa Qureshi: dismissal from service
Omid Shahmohammadi: dismissal from service
A source told Hengaw that the rulings against the Divandarreh teachers were officially delivered on August 19, 2025. They were informed that their salaries, insurance, and benefits were terminated and their dismissal finalized.
These teachers had previously been tried on November 10, 2024, by the provincial disciplinary board of Kurdistan’s Ministry of Education and sentenced to heavy penalties: Ehsani to five years of exile in Qorveh, Qureshi and Mohammadzadeh to dismissal, and Shahmohammadi to suspension. Despite their formal appeals, the appeals board upheld the rulings and finalized the dismissal of all four.
In Saqqez, three other teachers received severe disciplinary rulings:
Shahram Karimi: six-month suspension.
Loghmanollah Moradi: one-year suspension.
Sulaiman Abdi: forced retirement with two-grade demotion.
Earlier this year, in Marivan, Somayeh Akhtarshomar, a teacher from the village of Rowar in Sarvabad County with 17 years of service, was dismissed. In addition, Leila Salimi, another union activist with 32 years of experience and a PhD in Management, was sentenced by the disciplinary appeals board to two months of suspension.
Teachers in Kurdistan, especially since the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement, have faced continuous pressure, including repeated summons by security agencies, arrests, heavy court rulings, dismissals, and forced retirements. Teachers’ unions were among the first groups to openly support the protests and played an active role in backing the legitimate demands of demonstrators.
These latest rulings come despite recent claims by Seyed Fouad Hosseini, Director-General of Kurdistan’s Education Department, who stated in an interview with Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with the IRGC, that “no teachers have been dismissed in the province.”
According to exclusive information obtained by Hengaw, following the 12-day war between Iran and Israel, a special delegation from the Supreme National Security Council was dispatched to Kurdistan to review teachers’ cases in the judiciary, the Intelligence Office, governor’s offices, and education departments across the province. Hengaw has learned that in its final meeting at the Sanandaj Governorate, which lasted nearly five hours, the delegation declared that at least 15 teachers in Kurdistan would be dismissed. Persistent follow-up by security agencies, particularly the Intelligence Office, ultimately led to the enforcement of these rulings.
The Kurdistan Teachers’ Union (Sanandaj) has described these rulings as a blatant disregard for the legitimate demands of teachers and students and announced that it will soon disclose details about the officials involved in fabricating these cases.
The Ministry of Education, especially since the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement, has dismissed significant numbers of teachers under the pretext of “administrative violations” for participating in union gatherings or supporting protesters, while forcing others into premature retirement. Since then, these pressures have escalated, with teachers continuously harassed by security agencies and repeatedly summoned for interrogation.
The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, while condemning the issuance of these heavy rulings against teachers, stresses that such measures constitute violations of their legal and union rights and demonstrate the direct involvement of security institutions in education to suppress teachers’ pursuit of justice. Hengaw warns of the continued threats and pressures against educators in Kurdistan.
