Aziz Ghassemzadeh

Age:

Activities/Rights: Teachers’ Union

Status: 10-day furlough (23 July)

Judicial status: 1 year imprisonment

Violations: Arbitrary arrest and detention, lack of due process, unfair trial, access to lawyer

Aziz Ghassemzadeh is a teacher, singer and spokesperson for the Gilan Teachers’ Union who was previously arrested in 2017. On 25 September 2021, the Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers’ Unions organised protests in 40 cities across Iran due to the teachers’ demands about their pay, pensions and job security, amongst others, not being met. Aziz took part and gave a speech at his local protest in Gilan. The next day, security forces raided his father’s house and arrested him as he was giving a live interview to a Farsi satellite television channel via video. His mother can be heard pleading for her son not to be taken from her as he is handcuffed and blindfolded and taken away. According to his lawyer, his previous case was also a consideration in the arrest. On 3 October 2021, his lawyer tweeted that Aziz’s detention order had been extended, he was banned from visits and phone calls and access to a lawyer. Aziz was released on bail from Roudsar Prison on October 11. 

Aziz and two others filed complaints against their violent arrests on 5 July 2022 which was closed in February 2023 due to a “lack of evidence.” He was tried for the charge of “propaganda against the system” in Roudsar and tried again for the same charges in Rasht.  On 2 November 2022, Aziz was sentenced to a year imprisonment for “propaganda against the system” by Branch 3 of the Rasht Revolutionary Court. The sentence was upheld on 30 January 2023 without any regard for the procedural error by the Rasht Revolutionary Court. He was transferred to Rasht Central Prison on 8 April 2023. Between 14-22 May, he was taken to the IRGC Intelligence Organisation for interrogation. Aziz was informed that he was being investigated for 25 counts of administrative violations by the Gilan province Education Board which he called “vindictive.” He went on a ten-day furlough on 23 July 2023. Aziz sent messages of support for the protests from behind bars. He recorded a video explaining his charges and the reasons for his imprisonment to his pupils before going to prison.