According to investigations conducted by Hana Human Rights Organization, on Sunday, April 13, 2025, several fifth-grade students at Rashidin Primary School in the village of Karjo, located 28 kilometers from Sanandaj, were subjected to severe physical abuse and torture by their classroom teacher.
In an effort to document this violent behavior, Hana’s legal team—while keeping the identity of the teacher confidential—interviewed several parents, particularly the parents of two students who exhibited the most visible signs of torture. According to the parents’ statements:
“On Sunday, the teacher told the students that his phone credit had gone missing and accused them of taking it. Suddenly, he locked the classroom door and began to violently beat the students closest to him using a stick. Subsequently, he proceeded to physically assault 13 students in total, accompanied by verbal abuse and extreme anger.”
The parents further stated:
“Although the children’s cries and pleas filled the entire school building, none of the staff intervened until the teacher eventually stopped, exhausted from beating these innocent children.”
State-affiliated media have confirmed the occurrence of violence by the teacher and claimed that “the school principal and staff broke into the classroom and prevented the teacher from continuing his assault.” However, based on Hana’s independent investigation, such claims of immediate intervention to protect the students cannot be verified.
Following the severe physical and psychological abuse, the children returned home and showed signs of torture to their families, prompting the parents to urgently go to the school and follow up on the matter. While the school principal and staff initially acknowledged the incident and promised to address the parents’ complaints, they later subjected all the victimized students to intense psychological threats and fabricated baseless accusations. They urged the students to remain silent about the incident and to forget it altogether.
It is important to note that requests by Hana’s legal team for interviews with officials at the Sanandaj Department of Education (District 2) have so far gone unanswered. The education authorities have issued vague and evasive statements, merely announcing the suspension of the abusive teacher without accepting any responsibility.
Hana’s legal team strongly condemns this horrifying and unacceptable behavior by the teacher and holds the entire educational system accountable. The team states:
Even under the flawed and minimal laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran—such as Article 1179 of the Civil Code and Clause T of Article 158 of the Islamic Penal Code—teachers are prohibited from using any form of corporal punishment or physical violence against students. Additionally, Article 77 of the Executive Regulations for Schools explicitly bans corporal punishment of students.
Moreover, under Article 19 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Iran is a signatory and which carries the weight of domestic law, states are obligated to protect children from all forms of physical and mental violence, including corporal punishment. In this context, Clause A of Article 37 of the Convention stipulates: “No child shall be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment.”
Based on these principles, Hana’s legal team calls for:
• An independent investigation into this appalling act of violence at Rashidin Primary School in Karjo village;
• The prosecution of the teacher for directly committing torture and abuse against 13 fifth-grade students;
• Legal accountability for all school staff, including the principal, for their failure to fulfill their legal duty to protect the students;
• Official acknowledgment of responsibility by the relevant educational authorities.