The Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK) has officially endorsed the call for a nationwide strike issued by the “Coordinating Council of Iranian Educators‘ Trade Unions.” The strike is scheduled to coincide with the 40th-day memorial of those killed during the violent crackdown on protests in January.
In a statement released today, PJAK condemned the killing of over 230 students by the Islamic Republic’s security forces, labeling it a “war crime.” The party emphasized that targeting the youth is an attempt to suppress the future of democracy in Iran. PJAK urged all schools, teachers, and citizens to join the strike as a moral and political duty to honor the victims and stand against decades of systemic repression.
Full text of the statement
We Support the Call of the Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations
The Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations, in remembrance of more than 230 students who lost their lives at the hands of the Islamic Republic of Iran and in condemnation of the January massacre, has issued a call inviting all schools and teachers to go on strike on the fortieth day of remembrance of the victims, to close schools, and to attend the memorial ceremonies.
Our party, PJAK, while condemning the aforementioned massacre—which will be recorded in history as a stain of shame on the Islamic Republic—expresses its support for the call of the Teachers’ Trade Associations. Undoubtedly, students are the builders of the future on the path toward democracy and freedom. Repression and killing in schools, and shedding the blood of young people, is a war crime and will never be forgotten. Decades of poverty, deprivation, crisis, and repression have severely damaged society. The accumulation of these crises, along with political and security pressures and the suppression of social forces—especially students, who are the future of the country—has had a profound impact on society. From this perspective, the uprising in January was a cry for freedom from the yoke of oppression that has bound the peoples for decades. By killing students, the regime officially sent a message to society and to the academic community that the country is governed through absolute rule and that the voices of teenagers and youth will be met with suffocation. Sacrificing students has meant, and continues to mean, sacrificing the free future of society.
In this regard, our party, PJAK, firmly supports any activity and call aligned with freedom-seeking and democracy-oriented struggles. We hereby declare our support for the call of the Teachers’ Trade Associations and invite all schools to fulfill their political, moral, and social responsibilities in relation to this critical matter. Protecting the children of the people will further open the path to freedom and bring hope to our wounded society, especially to the families of the fallen students.
Executive Council of the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK)
February 17, 2026