Continued Crackdown on Critical University Professors; Ali Sharifi-Zarchi Expelled from Sharif University

Some professors and student councils in Iran reported on Saturday, August 26, the expulsion and suspension of several professors from Sharif University, Tehran University, and Allameh Tabatabai University. Ali Sharifi-Zarchi, a faculty member in bioinformatics and artificial intelligence at Sharif University of Technology in Tehran, wrote in a message that he has received his expulsion letter from the university. Mr. Sharifi-Zarchi was among the professors who were summoned by security agents last year after supporting protesting students. Recently, he published a government document on his X (formerly Twitter) page, revealing the government's efforts to secretly recruit fifteen thousand "aligned faculty members" with the regime. At the same time, student councils across the country also reported the termination of contracts for Hamideh Khademi and Ameneh Ali, professors from the psychology department at Allameh Tabatabai University, identifying them as opponents of the crackdown on students during the nationwide protests. According to the Telegram channel of this student union, these two faculty members were informed about the cancellation of their contracts via a phone call from the head of the psychology department, despite not receiving an official notification. Furthermore, according to the Telegram channel of Tehran University students, several professors from the Faculty of Literature and Humanities have been sidelined from teaching in the new semester. The names of the dismissed professors include Vahid Eidgah, assistant professor of Persian language and literature, Javad Bashari, assistant professor of Persian language and literature, Milad Azimi, assistant professor of Persian language and literature, Leili Varahram, professor of ancient cultures and languages, Ghasem Aziz, assistant professor of Arabic language and literature, and Hossein Misbahian, assistant professor of philosophy. According to this report, the courses that had been taught by these professors for years have been assigned to close associates of Abdolreza Saif, the head of the professors' Basij and the dean of the Faculty of Literature and Humanities at Tehran University. This report mentions Abdolreza Saif as responsible for the removal and suspension of several experienced professors from the Faculty of Literature and Humanities, citing his "obstruction" in course assignments. The trend of actions such as removal, suspension, expulsion, and forced retirement of critical or non-aligned professors with government policies, which has been ongoing for years, has intensified following last year's nationwide protests. Recently, student councils across the country reported severe pressures on several professors from universities in Kerman, Beheshti, Tabatabai, Tehran, Isfahan, and Mashhad, evaluating it as part of the "purging of professors alongside students." Based on the latest university rankings in the Shanghai ranking system, the status of several Iranian universities, including Tehran University and Sharif University of Technology, has declined compared to last year. Concurrently with the widespread expulsion of professors, the Ministry of Science issued a call for the recruitment of 3,000 faculty members. A suspended professor from the Faculty of Fine Arts stated: "They cut my salary without a legal order." Following reactions to the removal of cinema and sculpture programs at Tehran University, an official stated: "It was a mistake, and it will be corrected." Eighty percent of the top scorers in the university entrance exam have left Iran; this year's top students are also seeking to emigrate. The widespread expulsion of university professors continues; the global ranking of universities is declining, and a new wave of emigration is underway.