Continued Uncertainty Surrounding Fahimeh Soltani, Detained Student in Isfahan

Seven days after the arrest of Fahimeh Soltani, a law student at Isfahan University, there is still no information regarding her fate. This student activist, who had previously been sentenced to two semesters of academic suspension, was arrested on Saturday, April 7, after being summoned to the Isfahan Intelligence Department of the IRGC. Since her arrest, it remains unclear which agency detained her and where she has been taken. According to the Hengaw Human Rights Organization, Soltani was summoned by Isfahan University on Wednesday, April 5, to review her case, but she failed to report due to being summoned outside of official hours, leading to her arrest by the Isfahan Intelligence Department. Despite her family's efforts to inquire about her situation, no information has been provided regarding the reasons for her arrest or her place of detention. This student activist was previously arrested by the IRGC during the nationwide protests and the 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement on November 13, 2022. In the initial ruling by the disciplinary committee of Isfahan University, she was sentenced to a temporary suspension from studies for 2.5 semesters on charges of 'disruption of university programs,' 'insulting religious symbols and sanctities,' 'participating in riots and disturbances,' failure to observe mandatory hijab, and 'not adhering to student decorum.' The Iranian government's pressure on student activists continues, as recently, the one-year prison sentences of Zia Nabavi and Hasti Amiri were enforced after they were summoned to the execution branch of Evin Prison. They were sentenced to one year in prison for 'propaganda against the regime' after participating in a protest on March 7, 2023, against the serial poisoning of schoolgirls. Legal cases, trials, and sentences against those involved in the serial poisoning of schoolgirls during the winter of 2022 and spring of 2023 have been initiated, yet it remains unclear who was involved in these incidents, and Iranian officials have never provided clear explanations regarding the outcomes of the investigations, which at one point led to the arrest of dozens, according to a member of parliament. A law student in Isfahan has been arrested; pressure on student activists continues. The World Student Association condemned the conviction of an Iranian researcher. Hengaw reports that at least 22 women were executed and 325 female activists were detained in Iran last year. Monthly report from Hengaw: 20 femicides, one execution, and dozens of detentions and imprisonments of women in Iran. Punishment of protesting academics; the council under Ali Khamenei has made 'the right to seek justice and redress' for students and professors impossible.