Suspension of Students Ahead of Protest Anniversary; 15 Students at Birjand University Suspended for One Semester

The National Student Guild Council announced on Thursday, September 14, that the disciplinary committee of Birjand University has issued a one-semester suspension for at least 15 students in the past week. According to the report, none of these students had previously received a summons, nor did they have any existing cases. On Wednesday, the National Student Guild Council also reported the summons of at least 30 students from Beheshti University ahead of the anniversary of nationwide protests and the reopening of universities. The students were summoned to the university's security office to 'obtain a commitment' and were required to sign a pledge not to participate in any potential protests in the new semester. The council stated that some students, who had previously received threatening calls from 'private numbers,' were again threatened by the security office. Students who refused to sign the commitment were threatened with 'preventing their graduation.' As the anniversary of the death of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini in the custody of the morality police approaches, the number of contacts from security agencies and the summoning of students and student activists has increased across most universities. In this context, at the end of August, student news channels reported the summoning and interrogation of several students from Jundi Shapur University in Ahvaz, Amir Kabir University in Tehran, and Isfahan University of Technology by security agencies. The Iranian Student Guild Council reported on Tuesday, August 15, based on 'incoming reports,' that 'at least 13 students' at Jundi Shapur University in Ahvaz, '10 students' at Amir Kabir University in Tehran, and 'several students' at Isfahan University of Technology had received threatening calls and had been summoned to follow-up offices. This student guild organization also received similar reports from universities in 'Tehran, Isfahan Medical Sciences, and Ferdowsi University in Mashhad.' The Shargh newspaper also reported on Monday, August 14, that several students from Allameh, Beheshti, and Tarbiat Modares universities in Tehran had been summoned to security and judicial authorities, while simultaneously, 200 students from Bu Ali University in Hamedan were also barred from entering the student dormitory. Nira Touhidi, a professor at California State University, previously stated in an interview with VOA that the increasing pressure on professors and students in Iran represents a third wave of cultural revolution and that these pressures will have destructive effects on the entire society.