News Center — The Fars Province Teachers' Association issued a statement condemning the issuance of prison sentences and additional penalties against Reza Amani Far, Asghar Hajeb, and Ruqayyah Torabpour, three members of the Bushehr Province Teachers' Association, considering these sentences contrary to citizens' rights, freedom of association, and teachers' right to practice their union activities.

The Fars Province Teachers' Association affirmed in a statement issued after the issuance of sentences and penalties against three members of the Bushehr Province Teachers' Association — Reza Amani Far, Asghar Hajeb, and Ruqayyah Torabpour — that demanding union rights and peaceful protest against injustice are not a crime or a threat, but are among the rights of citizens.

It pointed out that turning union demands and civic activities into judicial and security cases obstructs the process of societal reform and development, as it undermines public trust and narrows the margin of dialogue.

The Fars Teachers' Association announced its support for the three members of the Bushehr Teachers' Association, demanding the annulment of the sentences issued against them at the appeal stage, the immediate release of Reza Amani Far due to his need for medical treatment and protection of his health, and an end to security and judicial confrontations with union activists.

The association also stressed the need to recognize teachers' right to form independent organizations, express their opinions, criticize policies, and pursue union demands. "It cannot be expected that teachers will raise a conscious and critical generation while they themselves are deprived of the right to question, criticize, and protest. Demanding is not a crime, and defending justice is a humanitarian and social duty."