News

The dismissal ruling of Somayeh Akhtarshomar, a teachers’ union activist from Marivan, has been confirmed.

06:25 - 5/10/2024

The dismissal ruling of Somayeh Akhtarshomar, a teachers’ union activist from Marivan, has been confirmed.

According to reports received by the Hana Human Rights Organization, the dismissal ruling of Somayeh Akhtarshomar, with 17 years of work experience, has been upheld by the Appeals Committee of the Ministry of Education.

Somayeh Akhtarshomar, 36 years old, married, a teacher from the village of “Rowar” in the Sarvabad district, holds a bachelor’s degree and has been an English teacher with 17 years of experience in the Ministry of Education. The Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations, while reporting this news, wrote: “The Kurdistan Education Department, in collaboration with security forces and the repression apparatus, has recently taken actions such as dismissals, downgrades, and suspensions against teachers in this province by fabricating cases against union activists.”

The Coordinating Council also stated: “The Council, while supporting Mrs. Akhtarshomar and pursuing efforts to restore her rights, condemns the continued fabrication of cases against union activists.”

Somayeh Akhtarshomar was dismissed from the Ministry of Education in June 2024 by the Preliminary Administrative Violations Board of Kurdistan province.

On January 13, 2024, the Marivan Education Department, in a letter to the Preliminary Administrative Violations Board of Kurdistan province, accused Akhtarshomar of “publishing offensive content and spreading false news against the Islamic Republic, being an active member in illegal teachers’ union channels in cyberspace, posting inciting content in the teachers’ union channels of Marivan, Sarvabad, and Iranian educators, designing internal English exam questions in support of protesters, naming protesters in comprehension passages and exam questions, and publishing them in cyberspace, supporting Kurdish opposition parties and sharing this in cyberspace, posting unveiled images of herself in cyberspace, supporting divisive slogans, sharing unveiled pictures of students with provocative slogans, and posting pictures of her child in clothing representing Kurdish opposition parties with slogans and the flag of Kurdistan.”

The Administrative Violations Board of Kurdistan province issued the dismissal order for this teacher on May 16, 2023, without her or her attorney being present.