Hassan Bagherinia, Dismissed Professor, After Summoned to Court: This is the 'Decline of the University in the Sacred Islamic System'

Hassan Bagherinia, a dismissed professor, reported being summoned to the Revolutionary Court of Sabzevar on charges of 'propaganda against the regime.' This former professor of psychology and educational sciences at Hakim Sabzevari University mentioned in an Instagram note that the reason for his summons was a complaint from the 'Basij and fire-at-will' president of the university, stating: 'This is the decline of the university in the sacred Islamic system.' A supporter of the protesters, he announced his forced retirement at the beginning of the current academic year after 29 years of service, citing his dismissal as a result of not remaining silent against the actions of Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, and his forces during 'one year of the Mahsa movement.' According to Hassan Bagherinia, the university's security threatened him that if he rejected the forced retirement, he would face dismissal and loss of all his rights. Earlier this year, he emphasized in a post that the government aims to raise the cost of living honorably, but it 'will not succeed' in this endeavor. Recently, Alireza Azad, a theology professor at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad and a supporter of the protesting students, announced his dismissal from the university. In an Instagram note, he wrote that 'after 26 years' of studying and teaching at Ferdowsi University, 'an order was issued for me to leave my home.' Following the nationwide protests last year after the death of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini in the custody of the morality police, with the central slogan 'Women, Life, Freedom,' many students joined the protesters, and several university professors supported them. In response, the Iranian government, in addition to suppressing protesters and students, has removed many professors who do not align with its policies and those who support the protests from universities. In mid-September of this year, the Jam-e Jam newspaper, the press organ of the Islamic Republic's broadcasting organization, described universities as 'a breeding ground for training the opposition' and called on the government of Ebrahim Raisi to more decisively expel 'deviant' professors. Previously, dozens of academic figures abroad protested the expulsion of professors, considering this action by the Islamic Republic as a continuation of four decades of pressure and repression in educational environments in Iran. The Etemad newspaper had previously reported that following the expulsion of tens of thousands of professors from Azad University in the new academic year, 'first or second semester doctoral students' have replaced them. Hassan Bagherinia, the dismissed professor: 'Insiders can kill people and not take responsibility.' A faculty member at Hakim Sabzevari University: 'I was dismissed without any explanation.' Continuation of pressure and repression; forced retirement of professors, deprivation of education, and detention of students. Continued expulsion of university professors; 'respectable' expulsion from Azad University; 'Teaching is the work of revolutionary individuals.'