Suspended University Professor Says She Was Denied Return to Work Following 'Interrogator' Calls

Negar Zilaabi, a history professor at Beheshti University who was suspended after the protests of 2022, claims that despite favorable rulings from both the primary and appellate courts, the university president has refused to implement the order for her reinstatement. In a message shared on her Telegram channel, she described the dire situation faced by many suspended and dismissed professors like herself, who remain in a 'difficult' state, suffering from the 'heavy consequences of uncertainty and loss of income.' Zilaabi emphasized that 'over a hundred days' have passed since the government of Massoud Pezeshkian took office and made promises to address the status of professors, yet only a few, specifically '5 out of 40' she knows, have managed to return to work after 'extensive efforts.' Pezeshkian had issued orders for the reinstatement of expelled students and a review of the status of dismissed professors. Zilaabi mentioned that some colleagues advised her to refrain from speaking or writing for a while to facilitate her return to the university. She then referred to repeated calls from an 'interrogator' from the IRGC intelligence organization, who had previously interrogated her about the content of her classes. This individual recently told her that her writings are 'sharp' and 'brotherly' advised her to respect 'red lines.' However, Zilaabi responded that if she returns to the university and wishes to engage in academic work, her red line is 'the dignity of students and the university,' insisting that students should be at peace, 'not entangled in security, interrogation, detention, reprimand, suspension, and fear.' She noted that this response likely led security agencies to conclude that she is 'not regretful.' Now, two months after these calls, Zilaabi states that since the university president has 'refused' to execute the final court ruling, it seems that based on inquiries from the IRGC intelligence organization and other reports, she has no chance of returning to work. She pointed out that according to the law, failure to execute such a ruling could lead to the dismissal of the university president. Despite the review of the status of dismissed professors and their return to universities being one of Massoud Pezeshkian's electoral promises, no effective action has been taken in this regard since the new government took office.