Response to Student Criticism; Interior Minister: We Are Not Seeking to Securityize University Spaces

The Interior Minister announced that the government of Hassan Rouhani "has never sought to securityize university spaces and does not seek to do so now," stating that the Ministry of Interior's policy is to hold all licensed student ceremonies legally. These remarks were made in response to criticisms from student organizations regarding the "security" nature of university environments and the treatment of student activists. According to Mehr News Agency, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli on Wednesday, December 6, referred to what he called "the increase in the activities of student organizations during the government of hope and prudence," adding, "Over the past four years, approximately 3,500 ceremonies and gatherings have been held by student organizations, groups, and parties across the country in complete security." The Interior Minister also noted that, with the "attention and oversight of the Student Commission, an average of 500 student ceremonies have been held annually in recent years in honor of December 7." In another part of his speech, he called for "strengthening the rule of law, rationality, and realism, and preventing superficiality and hasty, emotional reactions" to be a focus for students. The Minister's comments came at a time when, in April of this year, 72 Islamic Student Associations issued a statement regarding the summons of 50 student activists to judicial authorities and the suspension of seven Islamic associations, criticizing the "pressure and restrictions" on student activities by entities inside and outside universities. In recent years, 92 student organizations, 813 student publication activists, and 8,000 student activists have separately protested against the existence of a "climate of intimidation and threat" and the "security" atmosphere in universities, which has led to the cancellation of student organization programs and "illegal and extrajudicial interventions" in their implementation. Meanwhile, according to ILNA news agency, Masoumeh Ebtekar, Vice President for Women and Family Affairs, criticized the "obstacles and restrictions" observed, writing that "the star-studded status and restrictions on the continuation of studies for some students have raised concerns." She added on her Telegram channel: "With the serious follow-up of the Minister of Science, some of these issues have been reduced, and the process of removing star statuses continues." Ebtekar wrote these comments a few days after protests by students from several universities in Iran regarding issues such as the securityization of educational environments, the star-studded status of students, and the monetization of universities, adding that "students have always been vigilant against the infiltration and intervention of political currents and have tried to strengthen their independence and dignity in rightful positions and constructive criticism rather than destruction and blame." Earlier, 32 student councils from Iranian universities had issued a joint statement read at several student gatherings, criticizing government policies and calling for the "cancellation of the internship plan for university graduates, halting the expansion of monetary capacities, dissolving international campuses, stopping the allocation of university spaces to private businesses and returning them to student organizations and associations, full coverage of services and government subsidies in the areas of nutrition, accommodation, and transportation for students, and the abolition of the years law and the removal of the law allocating budgets to students based on years." Other demands raised in this statement included "eliminating threats and security responses to student protests and demands, granting permission for the establishment of independent student organizations outside the power factions, the full return of star-studded and deprived students to universities, abolishing gender and geographical discrimination in student selection, ensuring equal right to education for all ethnicities and followers of all religions and sects, and granting permission to form national student council unions." A day before Masoumeh Ebtekar's remarks, Mohammad Reza Khatami, a reformist political activist in Iran, criticized the star-studded status of students during Hassan Rouhani's government. According to Khorasan newspaper, Khatami addressed Hassan Rouhani, saying: "Isn't it your Ministry of Intelligence that stars students? Based on which law and court have you condemned students? Mr. Rouhani, do not act against the law and the agreements made with the people; all of this is under the control of your Ministry of Science and Ministry of Intelligence. We expect you to act more strongly in these matters." Meanwhile, Emadeddin Baghi, in an article titled "Starred Students" in the Friday edition of Shargh newspaper, announced that the number of starred students is "much higher" than the figure reported by a member of the tenth parliament. Baghi pointed out that "according to numerous inquiries we have, those who have been disqualified after passing the exam without any explanation and some who lack the energy to pursue their cases are far more than this number," and "if officials really intend to obtain a more complete statistic, there is no need for others to announce names; it is enough to issue a call for those who have encountered problems in this regard to report." Previously, the newspaper "Jameh-Farda" reported on December 9 that at least 150 master's and doctoral students had been starred in October of this year and were faced with a "message of file deficiency" and were deprived of entering universities. However, two days later, Hassan Rouhani, at the University of Sistan and Baluchestan, alluded to the issue of student deprivation from education and their "star-studded status," saying: "Stars belong in the sky, not in universities. Students come to university to speak freely and express their opinions." The term "starred student," which emerged during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency, was used for student activists in various fields, which appeared next to their names in the records provided by the Assessment Organization, leading to deprivations including deprivation from education. The Human Rights Commission of the Office for Consolidation of Unity, in collaboration with the Student News website and the Campaign for the Defense of the Right to Education, announced in a joint report in 2013 that over a thousand students in Iran had been deprived of education in the past eight years. Meanwhile, Hassan Rouhani, in his presidential campaign in 2013, promised to eliminate the star status of students, reinstate them, and open up university spaces.