On Tuesday, February 17, 2026, coinciding with the 40-day memorial ceremonies for those killed in the January 2026 nationwide protests across various cities, forces of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps raided the workplace of Mahmoud Sedighi-Pour — a member of the Gilan Teachers’ Trade Association — and arrested him.
According to received reports, after the arrest he was transferred to an undisclosed location, and as of the time of reporting, no information is available regarding his physical condition or place of detention.
This action comes amid increasing pressure on members of the Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations following their call for a nationwide strike. The council issued a statement calling for a “strike and public mourning in Iran’s schools” as a sign of grief and protest over the killings.
In the statement, published on Monday, February 16, 2026 (27 Bahman), the council emphasized preventing the normalization of “empty desks,” declaring that “the security, dignity, and right to life of students cannot be postponed.”
Beginning with the phrases “For the empty desks” and “For the unfinished dreams,” the statement referred to the deaths of “more than 230 children and teenagers” and announced: “Wednesday, February 18, 2026: Strike and public mourning in Iran’s schools.”
It called for teachers to refrain from attending classes, parents to keep their children at home, and the public to participate in memorial ceremonies for the deceased students and teachers.
