According to a report by the Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations, Amir Rahimi, a primary school teacher and school principal in Azna County, Lorestan Province, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison and 2 years of internal exile following his arrest during the January 2026 protests.
Based on the report, Mr. Rahimi was arrested on January 2, 2026, and was illegally detained at Dorud Prison. It is reported that his trial was held without the presence of a lawyer, resulting in the issuance of a heavy prison sentence and exile order.
Trade union sources state that Amir Rahimi has 34 years of experience in the education sector and had been working as a teacher and principal in schools in the villages of Aghaei and Bagh-Mouri.
He also suffers from severe disabilities in both legs and is under the care of Iran’s State Welfare Organization, raising serious concerns about his physical condition and his ability to endure prison conditions.
One of Mr. Rahimi’s colleagues, describing the circumstances of his arrest, stated that on the evening of January 2, 2026, one day after protests in Azna, Mr. Rahimi witnessed a student being beaten by special anti-riot forces. He reportedly got out of his car to defend the child and attempted to stop the violence.
According to this source, special forces then assaulted him with batons, damaged his vehicle, and arrested him, transferring him to the Intelligence Office of Azna.
The report adds that in the early hours of the following day (January 3, 2026), Mr. Rahimi was transferred to Dorud Prison without his family being informed. After approximately 40 days of detention, his case was referred to the Khorramabad Judiciary, again without access to legal counsel, and he was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 2 years of exile to the city of Khoy.
Trade union activists and colleagues have expressed serious concern about his physical condition, emphasizing that due to his disability, he faces difficulties even in carrying out basic daily personal tasks, making imprisonment particularly dangerous for him.
