Mass Resignation Ahead of the Anniversary of the Attack on Sharif University; Protest Against the Interference of a Security Agency

Iranian media reported a mass resignation at Sharif University of Technology ahead of the anniversary of the attack on this university. According to 'Shargh Network,' affiliated with Shargh newspaper, members of the faculty's trade council at Sharif University, including the council's secretary, collectively resigned. Reports indicate that this collective action has led to the 'dissolution' of this council, just before the anniversary of the attack on Sharif University on October 1, 2022. In this regard, Vahid Karimi-Pour, a professor at the Faculty of Physics and secretary of the faculty's trade council, announced in a letter that the reason for his decision was 'summoned by an entity outside the university.' Karimi-Pour stated in his letter that 'this council was formed with the aim of optimizing the opinions of the faculty and assisting university management in better managing university affairs,' adding, 'From the beginning, all members believed they could fulfill this duty through constructive negotiation with university management and within the university.' He further emphasized that 'he did not expect that fulfilling this academic duty would lead to an invitation from an external [security] entity to negotiate about university issues,' adding, 'Naturally, while welcoming such negotiations in his office, he considers the insistence on attending an entity outside the university to be disrespectful to the dignity of all university professors in general.' After Vahid Karimi-Pour announced his resignation from the secretaryship and membership in the faculty's trade council, Saeed Shahrokhian, a professor at the Faculty of Chemistry, and Fardin Jafarzadeh, a professor at the Faculty of Civil Engineering at Sharif University, also resigned from this council. They cited 'the lack of an appropriate atmosphere and conditions to perform the duties of the faculty's trade council' and 'the need for peace and sufficient focus to carry out educational and research affairs' as reasons for their resignations. The resignations of the members of the faculty's trade council at Sharif University continued on the evening of Saturday, October 1, with Sohrab Rahvar, a professor at the Faculty of Physics, and Ali Abadian, a professor at the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, also resigning from the 'faculty's trade council at Sharif University.' Last year, during the nationwide protests that escalated after the death of Mahsa Amini in custody of the 'morality police,' a peaceful student gathering at Sharif University on the night of October 1 was met with an attack by security forces, Basij, and plainclothes agents. At least 40 people were arrested during the attack on Sharif University. Following the attack, student trade councils across the country announced that security agents had arrested a group of students and transferred them to an unknown location. A few hours after the attack on Sharif University, the Islamic Association of Students at this university called for protests and strikes by all students and academics in the country. The news website 'Aftab News' reported on October 2, 2022, that the 'Minister of Science' had visited the university, where 'intense exchanges' occurred between the minister and students, with the minister speaking to the students in a 'threatening tone.' Aftab News reported that images and videos released from the events at Sharif University showed that a group of motorcyclists entered the university and attempted to arrest students, and 'gunfire was also heard.' This media outlet emphasized that 'due to existing restrictions, it is not possible to prepare a transparent report on what has happened.' In recent weeks, with the start of the academic year in Iran, a new wave of restrictions in universities has begun, ranging from preventing some students from entering universities to installing facial recognition cameras and expanding gender segregation in academic environments. Before the start of the academic year and ahead of the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death, various reports of the dismissal of critical professors were published, citing reasons such as 'termination of cooperation,' 'contract cancellation,' or disqualification by 'security authorities.' The faculty's trade council at Sharif University recently consisted of seven members, including Ali Sharifi-Zarchi, a professor at the Faculty of Computer Engineering, Vahid Karimi-Pour, a professor at the Faculty of Physics, Saeed Shahrokhian, a professor at the Faculty of Chemistry, Sohrab Rahvar, a professor at the Faculty of Physics, Ali Abadian, a professor at the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, Arash Amini, a professor at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, and Ebrahim Azadegan, a professor in the Philosophy of Science group. These seven professors were elected as 'members of the faculty's trade council at Sharif University' on November 12 last year, with the votes of 160 faculty members at this university.