Continued Reactions to the Expulsion of Protesting Professors; Interior Ministry's Support for This Illegal Action

In the ongoing wave of opposition to the expulsion of critical professors, and the Interior Ministry's support for these expulsions, Mohsen Barahani, a law professor at Tehran University, wrote on the social media platform 'X': 'When a military figure becomes the Minister of Interior, the university and the country will be governed by military rules.' He added: 'It has now become clear that illegal orders from the National Security Council are likely the source of some expulsions.' Ali Mojtahedzadeh, a lawyer, also reacted to the Interior Ministry's statement regarding the expulsion of professors, writing: 'The Interior Ministry's support for the expulsion of professors is a clear and illegal interference in the specialized duties and responsibilities of the Ministry of Science.' He also emphasized: 'The Interior Ministry has neither the legal authority to validate the scientific credentials of professors nor the necessary technical competence, and this action reinforces the suspicion of political motivations behind the expulsions and external pressures on the university.' The Information Center of the Interior Ministry described the protests and criticisms against the expulsions as 'media hype' and announced: 'What the Ministry of Science has done regarding a few professors who have experienced academic stagnation but have played a significant role in media displays is completely based on legal and administrative principles and, of course, the revolutionary duty of this ministry for the scientific and cultural dynamism of universities, which deserves appreciation.' In this context, Farshid Norouzi, a former faculty member at Mazandaran University, told Voice of America: 'Many officials at Iranian universities are affiliated with security and military institutions, and this has been the case before, but now this phenomenon has become public.' He considered the university institution, especially in the humanities, to be 'dead' in Iran and added: 'The regime has tried to directly intervene in this sector, resulting in a wave of despair and hopelessness among university communities.' Milad Pour-Eisi, a student journalist, also spoke about the influence of government forces and the expulsion of critical and opposing professors, stating: 'For years, we have witnessed a severe disbanding of organizations in Iranian universities, and this trend has intensified in recent months.' He added: 'Some security documents released in recent months indicate that the regime is very fearful of the influence of academics on protests and considers the university a crisis for itself, trying to prevent any unpredictable movements by students by any means possible.'