Wave of Student Summons to Security Agencies at the Start of the Academic Year

Following a report by the IRNA news agency about a 'wave' of student summons to security agencies and university security offices at the beginning of the new academic year, reports have emerged regarding the poor conditions of several imprisoned students. According to a report from the Telegram channel of the National Student Guilds, Sadegh Qaisari, a student at Shahid Beheshti University who had previously been sentenced to seven years in prison, 74 lashes, and a two-year ban on press activities, has been on a hunger strike since Wednesday, October 3rd. He has been detained since March 20, 2018, and has not been granted leave. Najmeh Vahedi, a graduate student in women's studies at Allameh Tabatabai University and a women's rights activist, was also arrested by the IRGC on September 1st and remains imprisoned. Meanwhile, student organizations and students at Allameh Tabatabai University have written a letter to the university president requesting follow-up on Najmeh Vahedi's situation. Previously, IRNA reported on a 'wave' of summons for student activists to security offices and agencies. An unnamed student activist told the news agency that security agents questioned him about last year's activities and the plans for the new academic year of the organization he is involved with. The news agency also reported that the situation for activists and student organizations in smaller cities is 'worse.' Meanwhile, Shahrokh Rezaei, the secretary of the Culture and Politics Association at Shiraz University, stated that some political activists are allowed to speak at universities in Tehran, but are not given permission to speak at universities in smaller cities. He also reported that external agencies are contacting student organizations and putting them 'under pressure.' In recent weeks, heavy prison sentences have been issued for several students arrested during the protests in December, including a six-year sentence for Saha Mortazavi, the central student guild secretary at Tehran University. Protests against these sentences have also been held in recent months. 125 professors from various universities in Iran and 68 student organizations have protested against the issuance of long-term prison sentences for students. Nevertheless, Mansour Gholami, the Minister of Science, stated last Wednesday regarding the situation of imprisoned students that the ministry is working to ensure that these students do not face issues in continuing their education after their release. Hassan Rouhani, during the 2013 presidential election campaign, promised to return deprived students to universities and eliminate the 'security atmosphere' in universities. However, various student groups have repeatedly protested against the 'security atmosphere' in universities and the 'starred' status of students in recent years. Meanwhile, Iranian media reported last week that several newly accepted doctoral students at Azad University have been labeled as 'starred' and the university's security has informed them to obtain a 'letter of qualification' from security agencies to continue their studies. The Iranian government has approved a new bill regarding the right to education, stating that 'no one can be deprived of education at different levels for reasons other than lack of scientific competence.' However, individuals with a criminal record for organized crimes, human trafficking, armed rebellion, and espionage are excluded from this bill and do not have the right to continue their education. Although some media have reported that if this bill is finally approved, the problems of 'starred' students will be resolved, some legal experts have deemed the deprivation of convicted individuals from education as unconstitutional. This bill must be approved by the parliament.