Students Gather at Kharazmi University Following the Death of a Student

Following the death of a student in the dormitory of Kharazmi University due to what has been termed "negligence of the authorities," students at this university held a gathering and sit-in on Tuesday. According to reports published on social media on Tuesday, November 22, students at the "Rezaei Nejad Campus" of Kharazmi University protested the death of Amir Mahdi Chaghini, an undergraduate student in applied chemistry, due to "mismanagement by the security and dormitory officials." According to reports from the "United Students" Telegram channel, Amir Mahdi Chaghini, a freshman, died after "falling in the male dormitory of Danesh 1" on the evening of Monday, November 21, "due to a head injury and severe bleeding following a delay in the ambulance" after "several unsuccessful surgeries" on the morning of Tuesday, November 22. According to the Kharazmi newsletter, students gathered in front of the office of the former head of the Rezaei Nejad Campus to protest this incident and demanded a boycott of classes and sit-ins in various faculties. Reports indicate that "the locked gate of the dormitory" prevented the ambulance from entering the premises, and a "30-minute delay" in transferring Amir Mahdi Chaghini led to his death. This student, who was transferred late to Nikan Hospital, lost his life at four in the morning after several futile surgeries. The protesting students hold Mohammad Shirbigi, the notorious head of Kharazmi security, Hossein Mahdavi Moghaddam, the head of the Rezaei Nejad Campus, as well as the president of Kharazmi University and the Minister of Science responsible for this unfortunate event. The death of this student has also sparked reactions on social media. Gohar Eshghi, the mother of the activist Sattar Beheshti, wrote on social media that Amir Mahdi Chaghini "became a victim of the negligence and irresponsibility of the rulers and officials who disregard the value of human life." Suspicious deaths of students in educational settings in Iran have been reported before. On September 10 of last year, two medical and nursing students died on the same day. Reports indicate that Fariba Zarei, an intern at Fasa University of Medical Sciences, died in a student dormitory, and Atousa Hashemi Nia, a sixth-semester nursing student at Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, also died under "suspicious" circumstances. On June 1, media reported on the "suspicious death" of a student at Tehran University, which university officials declared a "suicide." In November of last year, a female student at Bahonar University of Kerman died after falling from a height.