Kurdish teachers’ rights defender Majid Karimi acquitted of national security charge

On 20 October 2025, Branch I of the Sanandaj Revolutionary and Public Court issued a “Nolle prosequi” order on the charge of “inciting crimes against national and external security” against Kurdish teachers’ rights defender, Majid Karimi. The Court stated that the reason for the acquittal was the absence of compelling evidence.

Majid Karimi is a Kurdish human rights defender, teacher, and long-standing member of the Board of Directors of the Coordination Council of the Iranian Teachers’ Trade Association in Sanandaj, Iran. With over 25 years of experience in public education and a master's degree in political science, he has played a key role in organising teacher advocacy efforts and defending the right to free and quality education in Kurdistan Province.

On 29 August 2025, Kurdish civil activists and trade unionists organised a peaceful solidarity hike in Sanandaj in support of dismissed teachers. Following the hike, Majid Karimi and fellow teacher and human rights defender, Faysal Noori, were summoned by the national police intelligence office and subjected to several hours of interrogation and threats.

On 8 June 2025, the Ministry of Education’s Appeals Board upheld a permanent dismissal order against Majid Karimi, removing him from his teaching position and barring him from all government employment. The ruling also stripped him of his pension and social security rights. This decision formed part of a broader wave of disciplinary measures targeting Kurdish teachers for their peaceful union activities and defence of labour rights.

On 18 August 2024, the Court of Appeals acquitted the human rights defender of the charge “propaganda against the state,” which was brought against him in April 2024 by the Branch I of the Sanandaj Revolutionary Court. As a result, the initial verdict of the Revolutionary Court of three months imprisonment, which was commuted to a monetary fine, was overturned.

On 31 May 2022, security forces arrested Majid Karimi during a wave of detentions targeting teacher activists across Iran. He was detained at the Intelligence Office in Sanandaj incommunicado for seven days before being transferred to Sanandaj prison and released on bail after two days.

Despite his recent acquittal, Majid Karimi continues to face administrative and economic reprisals, including permanent dismissal and loss of employment rights. These measures are part of a broader pattern of harassment against teachers’ rights defenders and union members in Iran, who continue to face intimidation, interrogation, and professional consequences for their peaceful advocacy.