Hashem Khastar, teachers union representative, disappears in northeast Iran
=
Hashem Khastar, teachers’ representative in Mashhad, northeast Iran
Reported by PMOI/MEK
Iran, Oct. 24, 2018 - According to the latest reports published in social media networks about the sudden disappearance of Mr Hashem Khastar, the representative of the teachers union and a known teachers’ rights activists, Mrs. Sedighe Maleki, the wife of Mr. Khastar, has said the IRGC intelligence arrested (abducted) Mr. Khastar without providing an arrest warrant. He has been hospitalized on Tuesday in Mashhad’s Ebn Seena Psychiatric Hospital that is specially designed to treat mentally disturbed patients.
“A nurse told me that Mr. Khastar has been hospitalized in an emergency room and is banned from any family visits, based on orders issued by security officials,” she continued.
“He was completely healthy and after retiring spent many of his days farming. The only medication he consumed were blood pressure pills. Khastar being hospitalized in an emergency section of a special facility for psychiatric patients means [authorities] injected a special type of medication with the intention of killing him, or he had been severely injured under torture or during his arrest,” Mrs. Maleki added.
Seyed Hashem Khastar, had gone missing since Tuesday. His vehicle was found on Tuesday outside the city of Mashhad, northeast Iran, near an orchard. His mobile phone was turned off.
Khastar had time and again been harassed by operatives linked to the Iranian regime for defending the rights of Iran’s teachers. On numerous occasions, Khastar was arrested by the mullahs’ intelligence agents and placed behind bars.
During the past few weeks, Khastar had made public calls for widespread measures aimed at having jailed teachers released.
Ever since Khastar’s disappearance, teachers across the country and other social media users have launched a wave of protests demanding information about his whereabouts, security, and well-being. They are using two different Farsi hashtags, “Hashem Khastar” and “Where is Hashem Khastar,” warning the mullahs’ regime is responsible for his well-being.
Khastar’s vehicle, found near an orchard outside of Mashhad, northeast Iran
Read more:
Iran’s teachers are known for their organized power to launch major strikes.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert voiced support for the Iranian teachers’ recent nationwide strike sweeping across the country.
We are following the reports of nationwide strikes in #Iran. We support the right of the Iranian people to peacefully express their rightful demands. These strikes have a message for the regime: stop wasting Iran’s wealth abroad and start addressing the needs of your own people.
— Heather Nauert (@statedeptspox) October 15, 2018
We are following the reports of nationwide strikes in #Iran. We support the right of the Iranian people to peacefully express their rightful demands. These strikes have a message for the regime: stop wasting Iran’s wealth abroad and start addressing the needs of your own people.
“We are following the reports of nationwide strikes in #Iran. We support the right of the Iranian people to peacefully express their rightful demands. These strikes have a message for the regime: stop wasting Iran’s wealth abroad and start addressing the needs of your own people.”
The freedom-loving teachers’ strike spread to 103 cities across the country, including Tehran, Isfahan, Shahin Shahr, Karaj, and many others, protesting unbearable living conditions and the heavy security measures in schools and college campuses. This strike spread to 29 of Iran’s 31 provinces.
Students of Tehran University’s School of Social Sciences held a protest rally on Monday afternoon and refused to show up for some of their afternoon classes. This was in support of their protesting teachers.
The students were voicing slogans ridiculing the speech delivered by Iranian regime President Hassan Rouhani calling for “hope therapy” to overcome the current crises in Iran. They were also holding signs expressing their support for their teachers’ nationwide strike and called on authorities to meet the teachers’ demands of better living conditions and the release of imprisoned teachers.
A number of telephone and communications workers issued a statement expressing their support of the protesting teachers’ strike.
“The teachers’ demands are very similar to those raised by the drivers and other hardworking people across the country. They are protesting high prices, inflation, the unprecedented drop in the people’s purchasing power, oppressive measures against teachers’ independent organizations and the imprisonment of their colleagues. We hail the protesting teachers and voice our support for their demands. We stand shoulder to shoulder with them in their effort to establish a free and equal society.”
Members of the Haft Tappeh Sugar Cane Workers Syndicate also issued a statement expressing their support for the protesting teachers’ nationwide strike.
“Teachers are among Iran’s workers’ class. They are calling for the release of their jailed colleagues, protesting inflation, poverty and extremely poor living conditions, demanding a decent life, fair wages… We, the members of the Haft Tappeh Sugar Cane Workers Syndicate, stand alongside these brave teachers and have no doubt that victory is ours.”
As teachers across Iran continued their nationwide strike for the second consecutive day on Monday reaching 103 cities, and truckers forced regime officials to succumb to three of their demands after three weeks of strikes, more reports are coming from numerous cities across Iran about people from all walks of life holding a variety of rallies.
In Tehran, clients of the Revolutionary Guards-linked Caspian credit firm rallied outside the Iranian regime’s Central Bank, demanding their stolen money returned.
The protesters were chanting:
“The bankrupt government is sitting on our money”
Clients of the Caspian credit firm were also rallying in the city of Rasht in northern Iran. Braving heavy rainfall, these protesters gathered outside the Caspian branch and demanded their plundered savings returned.
They were chanting:
“Our life’s work has been stolen and plundered”
“We’ll continue our protests until our money is returned”
“Our money has been stolen and we can’t put food on the table”
In Haft Tappeh, southwest Iran, livestock workers went on strike on Monday, protesting pressures imposed by regime officials.
In Shushtar, southwest Iran, municipality workers held a rally outside the city hall on Monday demanding their paychecks that have been postponed for the past six months. These protesting workers say that prior to the Dec/Jan period, all Shushtar municipality employees were working under the city’s official authority. However, against the workers’ will and opinion, they were suddenly placed under regime officials’ authority under plan pretexted as a privatization measure. Their paychecks have been delayed ever since they added.
Shushtar – Municipality workers’ protest rally
Students of the Sanandaj Open University in western Iran rallied on Monday, protesting officials’ decision to eliminate the fields of nursing, especially one week into the course.
Sanandaj Open University students protesting
Employees of a factory producing industrial counters in the Albroz Industrial Complex in Qazvin Province held a rally to protest not receiving their pensions for the past 14 months.
Alborz Industrial Complex workers holding a protest rally
According to the latest reports, teachers in more than 100 cities across Iran are continuing their nationwide strike for the second consecutive day on Monday, reaching the cities of Mashhad, Marivan, Isfahan, Hamedan, Karaj, Homayounshahr, Shahinshar, Ahvaz, Baneh, Ravansar and many more.
Reports from the cities of Qeshm, Ahvaz, Poldokhtar, Ravansar, Rafsanjan, Zarineh and Babol indicate all teachers are on strike. Their protests have also spread to the cities of Divandareh, Shiraz, Sanandaj, Sari, Langrud, Saqqez, Khomeini Shahr, Kermanshah, and many others.
Teachers of a school in Marivan, western Iran
The teaching staff of a school in Karaj, west of Tehran
Teachers of a school in Isfahan, central Iran
The sign reads we don't accept discrimination
Teachers of Hamedan, western Iran
Teachers in dozens of cities across Iran began their nationwide strike on Sunday, Oct. 14th, protesting poor living conditions, problems with their jobs and heavy security measures imposed in their schools.
Teachers of Alborz city are on a nationwide strike
Teachers in the cities of Paveh, Islamabad-e Gharb, Yazd, Kermanshah, Shiraz, Marivan, Mashhad, Ilam, Gonabad, Torbat-e Heydariyeh, Tabriz, Amol, Garmeh, Lamerd, Sanandaj, Saqqez, Tehran (Quds Town), Sarvabad and a number of other towns and cities were seen to be on strike.
Students in various cities also announced their support for their teachers on this initiative.
Teachers of Hassankhan tower in Tehran are on a nationwide strike
Teachers of Divandarreh are on a nationwide strike on Oct 15
Other cities included Mahabad, Khorramabad, Firouzazbad, Zarrin Shahr, Bojnourd, Javanrud, Sari, Karaj, Ivan-e Gharb, and others.
The protesting teachers are also calling for the release of their jailed colleagues.
Since anti-government demonstrations erupted throughout Iran in December, strikes have become a popular way for citizens from all walks of life and social classes to protest against the corruption and inefficiency of the Iranian regime.
Mofatteh school, Isfahan-teachers on strike
This is the second time that Iranian teachers are going on strike. Earlier this year, teachers across the country took to the streets to protest against discrimination, imprisonment of political activists and economic woes. This round of strikes by teachers is happening in parallel to a widespread strike by truck drivers across the country, which has lasted for more than three weeks and has expanded to more than 300 cities across the country. Last week, a separate strike by merchants and shop owners reached dozens of cities.
No comments:
Post a Comment