Sit-in at Art University Against Mandatory Hijab; 'Security Chief' Attacked Students

The sit-in of students at the Art University in protest against the mandatory wearing of hijabs turned violent in the early hours of Thursday morning. According to reports, the protesting students were 'severely beaten' by Hamzeh Barzuyi Kootanai, the university's security chief. The National Student Guilds Council reported that at 2:30 AM on Thursday, protesting students at the Art University in the National Garden campus were severely beaten, and 'the condition of several students is critical' with 'no permission given for students to leave.' The council stated that previously, the university's security had prevented the delivery of water and food to the students and restricted access to sanitary facilities. The security has also threatened to allow plainclothes officers to enter. Why and when did the sit-in start? The National Student Guilds Council reported that about 50 students from the Art University began the sit-in on Wednesday evening in the National Garden campus to protest the mandatory hijab. From the early hours of the sit-in, the university's security chief threatened the students to open the university doors to security officers. However, the students continued their sit-in. The council noted that the situation for these students was not favorable from the beginning of the sit-in; 'the university's water supply was cut off, and other students were not allowed to bring water and food or even use sanitary facilities for these students.' The enforcement of hijab for students comes as the Iranian government has shut down hundreds of businesses, restaurants, recreational centers, sports clubs, tourist complexes, pharmacies, and even doctors' offices in recent months to enforce mandatory hijab. This approach, alongside judicial actions against women and girls, has not succeeded in subduing a large segment of Iranian women against the 'mandatory hijab' law, and their civil resistance continues. Ongoing civil disobedience in Iran; a woman cycling without mandatory hijab in Gorgan. The parliament is urgently reviewing the 'Chastity and Hijab' bill; Zahra Rahnavard: It is disgusting. A woman's resistance against an abuser and defender of mandatory hijab in a treatment center. Ongoing civil disobedience and government reactions; formation of three hundred judicial cases related to the 'Chastity and Hijab' plan. The Tehran prosecutor's office has filed charges against Shaghayegh Dehghan, an actress.