Iran’s Fars Province Teachers Union condemned the collective sentence of eight teachers to 34 years in prison.

In court, their participation in the legal gatherings of teachers was branded "collusion against the system" by judges.

The authors of the statement, referring to Article 27 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding the freedom of peaceful trade union gatherings, asked the judge and the agents involved in issuing the verdicts to "reconsider their decision for these honest teachers as soon as possible."

They said participation of teachers in such events is in line with "improving the state of education" as a necessary thing for "the growth of the society and the progress of the country".

They further called for "the revocation of the unjust verdicts and their acquittal in the appeals court".

The eight were among 26 teachers from Fars province who in May last year were detained during the union protests on the charge of "gathering against national security".

The arrest of teachers and transferring them to jails in different cities has escalated after they protested to condemn chemical attacks on schools and poisoning of female students, as well as the non-payment of salaries and arrears.