Mohammad Habibi
Mohammad Habibi is a human rights defender and a member of the board of directors of the Teacher’s Trade Union of Tehran. He has been a teacher for eighteen years, employed by the Iranian Ministry of Education. Mohammad Habibi is an active member of the Teachers’ Union, and he manages the union’s activities and organizes regular assemblies. He also runs a Telegram channel, which is a tool of broadcasting messages to large audience, to update the news about teachers’ trade association of Tehran, and the status of teachers’ requested demands.
Human rights defenders and journalists are arrested, detained and prosecuted in unfair trials. HRDs continue to receive death threats and are subjected to harassment, arbitrary arrest and detention. They are refused bail or receive extreme bail conditions. HRDs are additionally subjected to systematic surveillance and their family members are targeted. Journalists have been subjected to flogging for criticising the government.
Judicial harassment is one of the most common tactic used to silence HRDs and independent voices. Vaguely-worded charges of “acting against national security", “propaganda against the regime” or “enmity against God” are often used. Many are convicted in the absence of their lawyers, on the basis of "confessions" extracted under torture. In a number of cases the targeting of HRDs is ostensibly linked to their actual or perceived religious affiliation.
