ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A teacher in Iran’s Kurdistan province is under investigation after reportedly beating 13 primary school students, leaving at least one hospitalized, according to reports from state-affiliated media and human rights groups.
Graphic images and videos circulated by Iranian users on social media show children with visible whip marks on their skin, reportedly resulting from the beating they received from their teacher in the village of Karjo in Sanandaj district.
The Oslo-based Hengaw Human Rights Organization on Monday reported that the teacher assaulted 13 students after accusing them of stealing his mobile phone charger.
Hengaw quoted one of the students as stating, “After the teacher lost his mobile phone charger, he detained us and severely beat us on suspicion of taking it.” The human rights watchdog added that “one of the students was hospitalized due to the severe injuries” he sustained.
Hengaw additionally cited the students as stating that their teacher threatened to file lawsuits against them if they exposed his abuse, warning them that such a complaint could lead to them receiving “the death penalty once they turned 18.”
Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), corroborated Hengaw’s report, confirming that a student was seriously injured and hospitalized as a result of the beating.
A local education official in Sanandaj, Salah al-Din Mofidi, confirmed to Tasnim that Iranian authorities “have taken the necessary measures” and that the teacher “will not be allowed to return to the classroom.”
Hashem Nazemi Jalal, head of general education in Iran’s Kurdistan province, also confirmed to Tasnim that the teacher is under investigation, pending a final decision.
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