Atekeh Rajabi released from prison
On 17 January 2024, Atekeh Rajabi was released from Vakilabad prison in Mashhad after having served two months of a six-month prison sentence.
On 25 November 2023, Atekeh Rajabi began a six-month sentence in Vakilabad prison in Mashhad, in the Central Khorasan province in Iran. This corresponds to a summons from the implementation department of Branch 21 of Mashhad Criminal and Revolutionary court received by the human rights defender on 15 November 2023.
On 21 August 2023, human rights defender Atekeh Rajabi was sentenced to six months in prison on the charge of “propaganda activities against state” by Branch 7 of Mashhad Revolutionary Court. The human rights defender learned of a summons to a court session only the day before and was not given a chance to see or review the content of the indictment.
Atekeh Rajabi is a human rights defender, educator and former primary school teacher who works on children’s rights, women’s rights and right to education in Iran. In the aftermath of the September 2022 protests in Iran, the human rights defender has been vocal, including through social media posts, about teachers’ rights, prisoners’ rights and violence against young protestors, especially the poisoning of school girls in Iran.
On 17 January 2024, Atekeh Rajabi was released from Vakilabad prison in Mashhad after having served two months of a six-month prison sentence. On 21 August 2023, the human rights defender was sentenced to six months in prison on the charge of “propaganda activities against the state” by Branch 7 of Mashhad Revolutionary Court. The six-month sentence was upheld by Branch 35 of Khorasan Court of Appeals which chose to implement the first two months of the sentence and to suspend the remaining four months for a period of five years, on condition that the human rights defender does not commit a criminal act during this period.
The lawyer of the human rights defender had requested to substitute the prison sentence for a fine, an alternative envisaged in the Iran Penal code for prison sentences not surpassing three months. However, the request by Atekeh Rajabi’s lawyer was rejected by the judge and the human rights defender was transferred to Vakilabad prison in November 2023.
On 25 November 2023, Atekeh Rajabi began a six-month sentence in Vakilabad prison in Mashhad, in the Central Khorasan province in Iran. This corresponds to a summons from the implementation department of Branch 21 of Mashhad Criminal and Revolutionary court received by the human rights defender on 15 November 2023.
Previously, on 21 August 2023, the human rights defender was sentenced to six months in prison on the charge of “propaganda activities against the state” by Branch 7 of Mashhad Revolutionary Court. The six months sentence was upheld by Branch 35 of Khorasan Court of Appeals which chose to implement the first two months of the sentence and to suspend the remaining four months for five years, on condition that the human rights defender does not commit a criminal act during this period. The lawyer of the human rights defender has requested to substitute the prison sentence for a fine, an alternative envisaged in the Iran Penal code for prison sentences not surpassing three months. However, the request by Atekeh Rajabi’s lawyer was rejected by the judge and the human rights defender was transferred to Valilabad prison.
On 9 May 2023, Atekeh Rajabi was violently arrested during a teachers' peaceful assembly organised by the Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers' Trade Associations (CCITTA) to protest against the series of deliberate poisoning of school girls across Iran. The poisoning had been carried out in reprisal against women and young girls vindicating their rights not to conform to Iran’s discriminatory veiling rules.
Atekeh Rajabi has also been targeted at work. On 21 November 2022, the human rights defender was fired as a primary school teacher for engaging in the September 2022 protests. On 24 September 2022, the human rights defender initiated a strike to demand justice, and the release of detained teachers’ rights defenders, refusing to teach until the demands were met.
On 21 August 2023, human rights defender Atekeh Rajabi was sentenced to six months in prison on the charge of “propaganda activities against state” by Branch 7 of Mashhad Revolutionary Court. The human rights defender learned of a summons to a court session only the day before and was not given a chance to see or review the content of the indictment.
Atekeh Rajabi is a human rights defender, educator and former primary school teacher. The human rights defender works on children’s rights, women’s rights and right to education in Iran. In the aftermath of the September 2022 protests in Iran, Atekeh Rajabi has been vocal, including through social media posts, about teachers’ rights, prisoners’ rights and violence against young protestors, especially the poisoning of school girls in Iran.
On 21 August 2023, Atekeh Rajabi was sentenced to six months in prison on the charge of “propaganda activities against state” by Branch 7 of Mashhad Revolutionary Court. The human rights defender and lawyer were denied full access to the content of the indictment issued against her. On 20 August 2023, the human rights defender learned of a summons to a court session in Branch 7 of the Mashhad Revolutionary Court, scheduled to take place the following day, on 21 August 2023. Atekeh Rajabi had not received any official summons via SMS or in writing, nor was given access to the content of the indictment.
It is not the first time the human rights defender faces criminalization. Atekeh Rajabi has had previous hearings on several charges, including of “propaganda against the state,” “gathering and colluding against internal and external security,” and “promotion of corruption and immorality.” It is not yet known if the human rights defender has been acquitted of previous charges or not.
On 9 May 2023, Atekeh Rajabi was violently arrested during a teachers' peaceful assembly organised by the Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers' Trade Associations (CCITTA) to protest against the series of deliberate poisonings of school girls across Iran. The poisoning had been taken place in reprisal against women and young girls vindicating their rights not to conform to Iran’s discriminatory veiling rules. While in detention, the human rights defender began a hunger strike in protest for the violence and threats against family members. Atekeh Rajabi was released on 14 May 2023 on a bail of IRR fifteen billion. As a result of the hunger strike, Atekeh Rajabi was charged with “engaging in activities with the intention of toppling the Islamic republic in Iran.” In addition, the human rights defender has become aware of another open case in Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court of Tayebad, Korasan Razavi Province, on the charge of “appearing without Sharia binding hijab in public spaces”. The charges relate to activities held in 13 May 2023 and are strongly refused by the human rights defender, who was under detention at the time and claims not being present in Tayebad anytime around that date.
The human rights defender had also been targeted at work. On 21 November 2022, Atekeh Rajabi was fired as a primary school teacher for engaging in the September 2022 protests. On 24 September 2022, the human rights defender initiated a strike, refusing to go to school, to demand justice and the release of detained teachers’ rights defenders. A verdict on the case was issued by “the oversight committee for offences committed by staff of the Ministry of Education”, in the Razavi Khorasan province branch. According to this verdict, the human rights defender’s termination was decided based on three grounds: ongoing absence from work from 24 September 2022 until the issuance of the verdict; not respecting the country’s mandatory veiling rules; publishing videos without wearing a hijab on social media; and participating in school strikes to support detained teachers.
Front Line Defenders is seriously alarmed about the arrests, temporary detentions, physical assaults and legal actions against human rights defenders in Iran in advance of the anniversary of the September 2022 protests. Front Line Defenders is particularly concerned by the breach of international human rights law in Iran’s treatment to human rights defenders, where hundreds of human rights defenders have been arrested, charged and subjected to hefty prison sentences without adherence to due process or fair trials.
Front Line Defenders strongly condemns the judicial harrassment against Atekeh Rajabi. Front Line Defenders believes that the human rights defender is being targeted as a reprisal for working towards the promotion of women’s rights and children’s rights, including the right to education in Iran, and the case is illustrative of a broader pattern and wide crackdown on human rights defenders in the country.
