Judicial Authority Orders Halt to Student Campaign for Change of Presidency at Beheshti University

Several student organizations in Iran reported that the student campaign for changing the presidency of Beheshti University in Tehran was halted following a complaint from the university's president and an order from a judicial authority of the Islamic Republic. According to the student channel 'United Students', this campaign had garnered over 2,250 signatures from university professors and students. This student group did not specify the name or position of the judicial authority but noted that the reasons for this situation remain unclear and opaque, indicating that Mahmoudreza Aghamiri, the university president, cannot even tolerate a letter to the minister. In this context, 'Amirkabir Newsletter' welcomed the students' efforts to change the president of Beheshti University, stating that even if this change occurs, it seems unlikely that the overall policies of the regime regarding universities will change, and the next president will likely be obedient to security and intelligence forces. Meanwhile, the United Students channel reported on a sit-in held by Beheshti University students on Tuesday titled 'Repression Again', which was organized in response to university-related issues and the authorities' disregard for previous protests, including concerns over food quality and the gender segregation of cafeterias. The 'Progressive Students' organization also noted that the protest took place despite one student being summoned and interrogated by security before it started. According to the report, Gholamreza Shams, the head of student services, attended the protesting students but failed to convince them with his remarks. The protesters demanded the establishment of a guild council and non-interference from university administrators in the council's affairs, adherence to hygiene and improvement of food quality, addressing the shortage of dormitories and the temporary housing situation for many students, and addressing health and hygiene issues in dormitories (including exterminating pests, collecting stray dogs, and fencing to prevent their return). Other demands included requiring name tags for all security personnel, stopping repressive actions, addressing those who insult and harass students, and returning cafeterias to their previous state and reopening them without gender segregation. Meanwhile, the United Students channel reported that after this protest, university security contacted several student and guild activists and their families starting from Wednesday, November 2. This channel added that Beheshti University students have protested the lack of attention to their guild demands in various ways since the beginning of the academic year, and they registered a campaign against the illegal increase in dormitory fees for senior students and their transfer to another dormitory without consideration of distance, which has so far yielded no results. On the other hand, the student council's Telegram channel reported on the terrible conditions of the girls' dormitory at Beheshti University. This report quoted a female student from Beheshti University who stated that after strict measures such as closing cafeterias, removing coffee machines, mandating headscarves, poor food quality, bad behavior from dormitory security, unsanitary conditions in the dormitory, and the presence of stray dogs, a secret agent has been assigned to the girls' dormitory of Shahid Beheshti. Previously, the secretary of the Islamic Association of Sharif University of Technology reported the installation of facial recognition cameras in various parts of this university, including the entrance to the girls' dormitory. Ali Karimi stated in an interview with the 'Jamaran' website that the purpose of installing the cameras is to control mandatory hijab and monitor students' 'commuting hours'. The secretary emphasized that after the approval of the 'Disciplinary Guidelines 1401', university security intervenes in all aspects of students' lives. This 'disciplinary guideline' was designed in November 2022, a few weeks after the death of Mahsa Amini in custody and the protests in Iran, aimed at weakening the student atmosphere and suppressing political and social activities in universities, facilitating intensified crackdowns on students and professors. The expulsion orders for students at Rajai University have been finalized. According to news sources, Rajai University, in coordination with the Ministry of Education, has finalized the expulsion orders for several students of Rajai Teacher Training University. The Telegram channel 'Voice of Educators of Iran' reported that in recent days, strange text messages have been sent to students who faced disciplinary cases and suspended sentences in previous years, especially after the events of 2022. These messages stated: 'Dear student, your academic status at Shahid Rajai Teacher Training University has changed from 'enrolled' to 'withdrawn without settlement'. The report did not specify the number of expelled students. It emphasized that the intensity of disciplinary and selective actions in the Ministry of Education, especially against student teachers, has increased since the establishment of the new government. Accordingly, it has been announced that Shahid Rajai University continues the expulsion process rigorously. This process has occurred while Masoud Pezeshkian, the president of the fourteenth government of the Islamic Republic, on September 8, asked Hossein Simayi Sarraf, the Minister of Science, to 'review all professors with whom universities have canceled contracts or expelled them and to reinstate the students'. On Saturday, September 24, Hossein Simayi Sarraf told reporters that he is in contact with the judiciary to reinstate protesting students and professors but 'I am not sure that the judiciary will review these cases again.' Protests by students at Azad University against sudden and unreasonable tuition increases continue amid increasing pressure on students and activists in the context of rising tensions with Israel, according to Mojtaba Hashemi. The National Union of Educators of Iran condemned the continued repression of teachers' union activists under the Pezeshkian government. An expelled professor from Tehran University announced the finalization of his suspension order. The intervention of security at Sharif University of Technology in the 'affairs of life' of students; facial recognition cameras have been installed in girls' dormitories. 'Hijab monitors' are still stationed at the entrance of Tehran University. Motahareh, a protesting student deprived of education, was arrested and sent to prison.