Raisi Continues to Claim Victims; Two Students Expelled for Instagram Activity Following His Death

Iranian student and cultural media reported on Tuesday, September 10, that officials of the Islamic Republic have taken action against two students on charges of 'committing acts against the Islamic Republic in cyberspace.' The Telegram channel 'United Students' announced that Sadaf Heydari, a student entering the University of Tabriz in 2021, has been sentenced to two semesters of academic suspension for 'posting a poem on her Instagram story coinciding with the day of Ibrahim Raisi's death.' According to this report, Tabriz University officials contacted Heydari's family the night after Raisi's death at 9 PM, stating that by the order of the university president, Sadaf had been expelled from the dormitory and university and must vacate the dormitory immediately. Ultimately, Sadaf Heydari was sentenced to two semesters of academic suspension, which could become permanent, without the right to defend herself during the preliminary defense session. At the same time, the Coordination Council of Iranian Cultural Associations reported the conviction of Shaqayeq Akbari, a PhD student in political sociology at Tarbiat Modares University and former secretary of the student scientific association of sociology. According to the council, Shaqayeq Akbari has been sentenced to four semesters of academic suspension, which, due to the counting of suspension semesters in her academic years, could effectively lead to her expulsion from the university. According to the Shargh network, the evidence for this ruling included images of a post and several Instagram stories attributed to her. This student had previously been suspended for twelve months from studies in the 2022-2023 academic year based on a ruling from the university's disciplinary committee. One day after the death of Ibrahim Raisi and several of his companions in a helicopter crash on May 30, which created a wave of joy among the people and users of social media, Mohammadi Azad, the Attorney General of the country, issued a circular to public and revolutionary prosecutors, asking them to deal 'quickly, effectively, and preventively' with individuals who publish 'offensive content' about this incident in cyberspace. Sina Yousafi, a lawyer, was sentenced to prison for commenting on the helicopter crash of Raisi. More than '1285 virtual activists' have been summoned, and 58 field protesters were arrested during the 'government elections.' Two Baluch citizens were arrested for their virtual activities regarding Raisi's death and for celebrating at a wedding. The Ukrainian airplane association reacted to Ibrahim Raisi's death, stating he played a role in the shooting down of a passenger flight. A personal account from a student, Mohaddeseh Fatemi, revealed she was suspended for not adhering to mandatory hijab outside the university.