Minister of Science Explains the Reason for the Cancellation of Some Speeches on Student Day

Mohammad Farhadi, the Minister of Science in Iran, explained the reason for the cancellation of some speeches at the commemoration of December 7, known as Student Day, stating that many individuals did not want to speak themselves, and the speeches of some were postponed to another time. According to Fars News Agency's report on Tuesday, December 24, the Minister of Science, Research, and Technology, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the 'Role of Research in the Legislative Process' conference, mentioned that universities are independent and have a supervisory council with regulations. If a speech was to be planned for someone, they should have submitted their request a week in advance for approval by the supervisory council. Farhadi also noted that in some cases, the university's supervisory board had no role in the cancellation of speeches; rather, external entities requested that the speeches not take place, which happened in two instances. He mentioned that many individuals also chose not to speak. This comes amid reports from domestic news agencies last week that speeches by some political figures from both reformist and conservative factions were prevented at Iranian universities. For instance, speeches by Morteza Moballegh, the political deputy of the Ministry of Interior during Mohammad Khatami's administration, at Birjand University and by Faezah Hashemi Rafsanjani at the Faculty of Law of the Islamic Azad University in Mashhad were both blocked. On the other hand, in the past week, conservative figures and media have also complained and criticized the cancellation of speeches by some of their own in Iranian universities. For example, Hamid Rasai, a hardline conservative member of the Iranian parliament, stated that the speeches of several conservatives, including some parliament members, were canceled on that day at universities. Ahmad Tavakoli, another conservative parliament member, commented that this method is incompatible with Islam, the constitution, and the government's claim of moderation. These events occur during Hassan Rouhani's administration, where he has consistently defended the right to free speech and even the right to criticize opponents in his public speeches. In this context, the cancellation of speeches under the banner of freedom of expression was attributed to 'plainclothes agents and Basij members' who prevented Faezah Hashemi from speaking. A member of the student Basij denied the accusation against Faezah Hashemi, stating: 'We were not acting independently.'