Masoud Farhikhteh
Masoud Farhikhteh is a teachers’ rights defender and a board member of the "Islamshahr Teachers Trade Association." He has been prosecuted for his union activities and peaceful work in defence of teachers' rights including with the Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers' Trade Association. He has been subjected to arbitrary detention, including in May 2023, and was fined and given a prison sentence in June 2025 due to his active participation in teachers assemblies, forming and directing trade union branches, and publishing statements.
Hope for political reform in Iran surfaced when President Hassan Rouhani assumed office in 2013 and dozens of opposition political figures and human rights defenders were released. However, violations of the rights to freedom of expression, association, peaceful assembly and movement of HRDs continue to be prevalent.
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.
