Ateke Rajabi is an educator and former primary school teacher who was terminated for her human rights work. The woman human rights defender works on children’s rights, women’s rights and the right to education in Iran. In the aftermath of the September 2022 protests in Iran, she has been vocal, including through her social media posts, about teachers' rights, prisoners’ rights and violence against young protestors, especially the poisoning of school girls in Iran.
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.
