Tehran Municipality Issues Eviction Order for the Sociologists' Association with Over 500 Members

Saeed Moayedfar, the head of the Iranian Sociological Association, announced that the Tehran Municipality has issued an eviction order for the Sociologists' Association, which has over 500 members, and in response to a request for an extension, threatened to forcibly send officials to throw the association's belongings into the street. According to the newspaper Shargh, Moayedfar stated that when the association requested an extension from the municipality, they were told, 'We will not give you an extension; either you evacuate, or we will throw your belongings into the street.' The head of the Iranian Sociological Association declared that the Tehran Municipality's action is contrary to the directive of the Tehran City Council and added, 'In 2013, the City Council requested that the municipality provide spaces for scientific, social, and cultural institutions. Accordingly, the Municipality of District 6 allocated this building to the Sociological Association.' He criticized the 'new urban approach' and obtaining a 'judicial order' for the 'eviction order,' adding, 'This means the municipality is trying to take these buildings from civil, scientific, and social institutions.' The Sociologists' Association has been active since the 1990s and has multiple branches across the country. According to Moayedfar, the main activities of this association focus on social sciences through holding meetings, conferences, scientific journals, and events organized by sociologists both domestically and internationally. In recent months, the Tehran Municipality has evicted and closed dozens of reputable civil society organizations, charities, and research institutions. The eviction order for the House of Human Sciences last year led to a several-day sit-in by members and employees of the house and the release of videos featuring prominent figures in the humanities calling for the eviction to stop. 'House of the Sun' is also an old institution supporting abused and homeless women, located in the 'Darvazeh Ghar' area, which has had a documentary made about its activities by filmmaker Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami. This institution, along with dozens of similar institutions, has also been evicted by the municipality in recent months. The story of the closure of the House of Human Sciences by the Tehran Municipality represents the latest confrontation between the government and intellectual thought. The eviction of five reputable centers supporting abused women by the Tehran Municipality has drawn reactions regarding the eviction of the 'House of Human Sciences,' seen as an attempt for 'complete purification.' Gatherings of humanities professors at the House of Human Sciences have been described as a 'Taliban-like' attack by the municipality for closure.