Summoning Students Due to Activities on Social Media

The Telegram channel 'United Students' reported an increase in pressure on active students participating in political and social discussions, stating that in recent months at least 5 students have been charged with accusations related to their activities on social media in the 'Disciplinary Committee'. According to this student organization, the documentation of the cases includes 'screenshots of tweets' and their personal images. This report indicates that this has occurred while the Ruyesh and Arman associations warned the student deputy last year that monitoring and controlling 'students' accounts' fundamentally violates freedom of expression and intrudes into students' personal lives. The report emphasizes that documents such as 'screenshots' are not even admissible in judicial references and cannot be generalized to individuals. Reports indicate that in the past two semesters, the formation of disciplinary cases to limit students' activities on social media has intensified. In recent months, especially after the protests two years ago in Iran, pressure and repression of students have increased, with many facing heavy disciplinary sentences or being deprived of education, and many others have been subjected to case-making. In this regard, on April 17, the head of the Central Disciplinary Committee of Islamic Azad University emphasized in a letter the need to deal with students who do not comply with hijab regulations and called for preventing the entry of individuals who, according to him, 'violate norms in terms of grooming'. Additionally, professors who stand by their students have also faced forced retirement and resignation. The newspaper 'Ham-Mihan' reported in December 2023 that with the approval of the university disciplinary committee regulations, the repression of students has intensified and the atmosphere of universities is tense. The report states that in 2022, 176 disciplinary rulings, 8 expulsions, and 301 semesters of suspension were reported by disciplinary committees, and it was also noted that most of the case-making continues 'without adherence to regulatory standards'. The 'Executive Guidelines for the Student Disciplinary Regulations' was issued in December 2022, at the height of the 'Women, Life, Freedom' protests, to universities across the country, establishing '20 punitive measures' signed by the ministers of Science and Health of the Islamic Republic. The introduction of these guidelines states: 'The Student Disciplinary Committee' is tasked with addressing student violations while emphasizing 'religious, ethical, legal, and rights standards'. Ultimately, these guidelines have led to increased governmental pressure on the higher education environment in Iran, including the suspension of a professor, the establishment of a facial recognition system for students in cafeterias, deprivation of some dormitories, security monitoring at entrances, and the installation of an 'ethical charter' at universities at the beginning of the 2023-2024 academic year. The repression of students in Iran has a long history, as Human Rights Watch stated in July 2019 that Iranian government officials have intensified the repression of protesting students through prison sentences and restrictions on peaceful activities. The U.S. State Department has repeatedly condemned the violent crackdowns and widespread repression of protesters and government opponents under various pretexts, as well as the repeated and ongoing violations of the rights of Iranian citizens by the Islamic Republic. Student hunger strikes and placing food trays on the ground at Amir Kabir University have occurred, and Dina Qalibaf was arrested after sharing her personal account of 'sexual assault' by the 'murder patrol'. The Islamic Azad University directive states that 'norm violators in grooming' should be prevented from entering the university. There is ongoing uncertainty regarding the fate of Fahimeh Soltani, a detained student in Isfahan. The installation of 'facial recognition' cameras at Alzahra University has led student activists to claim that the university environment has become more security-oriented. Zia Nabavi and Hasti Amiri, student activists, have been imprisoned. The president of Tehran University of Medical Sciences denied the expulsion of professors, stating that there were no 'expelled' professors.