Student Day in Iran; The 'Exorbitant Costs' of Student Activists in Confrontation with the Government

A report from the Committee for Monitoring the Situation of Detainees indicates that expulsion, suspension, university entry bans, and disciplinary sentences are part of the 'exorbitant costs' imposed on protesting students since last year. This committee reported on Thursday, December 7, on the occasion of Student Day, that until January of last year, 1,600 students were banned from entering universities and over 600 students were suspended from continuing their education across 15 universities in Iran. The Committee for Monitoring the Situation of Detainees also recorded at least 176 disciplinary rulings, 300 terms of suspension, and 8 expulsions of students, which it considered part of the 'exorbitant costs' that students have borne for participating in the 'Women, Life, Freedom' protests of 2022. According to this report, students have faced educational deprivation rulings in at least 43 universities. Simultaneously, student activists launched a campaign with the hashtag 'Talk About Suspension' on social media to describe their educational deprivations. Motahareh Ghonei, a student sentenced to exile and suspension from the dentistry program at Tehran University, criticized the lack of a bright future and clear life and education, stating: 'It feels like prison bars surround me, even though I seem free.' A group of students from Tehran universities issued a statement criticizing the 'widespread repression' of student activists by the government, announcing the continuation of student struggles until the occurrence of a 'revolution.' In the statement published on the Telegram channel of the United Students, it is predicted that 'the fighting identity of students will not disappear; it will take hold of the regime in another form and lead to a revolution.' The authors of this student statement cited methods of the government for widespread repression of students, including 'thought control and suppression of freedom of expression,' 'homogenization of the university environment; expulsion of professors and students,' 'securitization of university spaces; dismantling of student organizations and supporting anti-student organizations,' 'arbitrary actions in disciplinary committees,' 'removal of fields considered dangerous for the regime,' and 'preemptive oversight; student selection in line with educational discrimination.' The Iran Watch website also described the 'many sufferings' of students since December 2022, stating: 'The wounds of severe judicial rulings, including suspension, expulsion, and even exile, remain on the bodies of students.' Sepideh Rashno, a student at Alzahra University and an opponent of compulsory hijab, recently announced her prison sentence. Furthermore, according to the Iran Watch website, students who have not faced judicial rulings are encountering 'strange innovations by security' such as 'creating files for posting photos on personal pages to hijab patrols in universities.' On the other hand, suspended students issued a statement demanding recognition of 'the most basic citizen rights,' including 'the right to education at university,' 'the right to peaceful assembly,' 'the right to freedom of thought and expression,' and 'the right to privacy.' In this statement, which was reflected in the Telegram channels of students, they called 'autocracy' the basis of the legitimacy of the Islamic Republic, stating: 'The government, by applying rampant and comprehensive repression to silence any effort for change and depriving the possibility of action, will lead students, as the future of Iran, to the brink of destruction.' Mohsen Barahani, a faculty member at Tehran University, criticized the 'heavy shadow of security and disciplinary committees,' writing: 'If the Ministry of Science and the Ministry of Health have the courage, let them publish the statistics of summons and the text of the rulings issued against dear students in the past year.' The Teachers' Syndicate of Tehran also issued a statement on the occasion of Student Day, referring to the 'influential role' of the student movement in historical developments since the establishment of universities in Iran and its leadership in the democracy-seeking process of the Iranian people, stating: 'The struggle against despotism and the defense of freedom-seeking, human rights, and social justice as the main demands of students have made them the flag bearers of the independence and democracy-seeking process in Iran throughout these years and under various governments.' In this statement, referring to the 'widespread repression' of the student movement by the security and judicial apparatuses of the Islamic Republic, it stated: 'The continued repression of students and university professors will yield no achievement for the government, and the response of students is the same as they have repeatedly expressed in their statements and in various languages; we have nothing to say to you except one word: No.' The Teachers' Syndicate of Tehran emphasized that 'the repression of other social groups such as teachers, women, workers, and retirees over the past four decades has also yielded nothing but the collapse of legitimacy for the government,' stating: 'We will always stand by students and the student movement and demand an end to repression and the annulment of suspension, exile, and expulsion rulings against students and the deprivation of university professors from teaching.' Reza Shahabi, a imprisoned member of the board of directors of the Syndicate of Workers of the Tehran and Suburbs Bus Company, also wrote in a statement published on the Telegram channel of this organization: 'Students can see their efforts for a better future reflected in the wave of ongoing protests and strikes, and just as they have always stood consciously against all forms of discrimination, exploitation, and inequality, today they should see their true place alongside the struggles of their parents and grandparents.' Mr. Shahabi added: 'For years, the cry for unity among students, workers, teachers, nurses, and all wage earners and workers in universities and streets has echoed and caused fear in the ruling apparatus.' He explained that 'in the past year, the links between the struggles of women, youth, ethnic and national minorities, and the workers' struggle have shown their importance and necessity, and in this context, students, who are mostly the children of workers, have a significant role.' Following the nationwide 'Women, Life, Freedom' protests in 2022, pressure on students and their repression, especially female students opposing compulsory hijab, has intensified. In addition to arrests, suspensions, exiles, and deprivation of education for protesting students, several government-critical professors and supporters of protesting students have also been suspended or expelled. Students and professors from over 120 universities in Iran, during the nationwide protests of 2022, expressed their support for the protesting people and called for the 'overthrow' and complete removal of the Islamic Republic in Iran. The Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hossein Salami, claimed in October of this year that 'enemies' consider the university as 'the focal point of all their efforts' to 'distort minds, capture hearts, dominate the space of thought and beliefs of our youth.'