In a continued clampdown on civil activism in Iranian Kurdistan (Rojhilat), the Islamic Republic of Iran has arrested Mokhtar Asadi, a well-known Kurdish teacher and union member. Asadi, an active participant in the Teachers’ Union of Iran and Kurdistan, was detained on 19 August and has reportedly been moved to Tehran’s Evin Prison, where he has begun a hunger strike in protest.
According to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) and other credible sources, Iranian security forces carried out a raid on Asadi’s home in Sanandaj (Sine) early on Sunday morning. The raid, conducted in Asadi’s absence and without a warrant, caused significant distress to his family, with agents ransacking the house and leaving his wife and children in fear.
Following the raid, Asadi was summoned by the Cyber Police (FATA) via a phone call, leading to his arrest on Monday. The Coordinating Council of Trade Union Organisations of Iran, through its Telegram channel, suggested that Asadi may have been transferred to Evin Prison in Tehran, where he has since initiated a hunger strike.
Asadi is a distinguished figure in the Kurdistan Teachers Union and holds a master’s degree in sociology from Tehran University. He has been repeatedly targeted by authorities for his advocacy of teachers’ rights and civil liberties. In 2010, he was arrested during a nationwide crackdown on union activists and detained for 66 days in Evin Prison before being released on bail He was later sentenced to one year in prison on charges of “propaganda against the regime.” He was arrested again in 2016 and released after completing his sentence in 2017.
Due to ongoing pressure from the government, Asadi was forced into early retirement from teaching two years ago and has since turned to agriculture to support his family. His arrest and hunger strike underscore the increasing repression faced by teachers’ union activists in Iran, drawing condemnation from international labour and teachers’ unions.
In a related case, Kurdish language teacher Zara Mohammadi was sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Iranian authorities for her civil activism and efforts to teach the Kurdish language, further highlighting the systemic suppression of Kurdish cultural and civil rights.
