Tehran University of Medical Sciences President Denies Dismissals; Claims No 'Dismissed' Professors

The president of Tehran University of Medical Sciences has reacted to the former Minister of Health of the Islamic Republic, who stated that the government of Ebrahim Raisi has 'dismissed or forcibly retired' about '40 of the best faculty members' from this university over the past two years. Hossein Ghanavati claimed, 'We have not had any dismissed professors at Tehran University of Medical Sciences in the past two and a half years.' This cabinet official of Ebrahim Raisi further stated, 'The news of the dismissal of 40 professors from Tehran University of Medical Sciences is false.' Reza Malekzadeh, a faculty member at Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Minister of Health during Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's government (69 to 72), had described the dismissal of prominent medical professors from the university as a 'catastrophe' for the country in an interview with the Jamaran website on April 7. This university professor and gastroenterology specialist emphasized that the dismissals have caused 'a large number of young people to become disillusioned and no longer willing to even come to Tehran University for specialized education.' Hossein Ghanavati, president of Tehran University of Medical Sciences, stated that 'forced retirement' is a term designed by individuals with political motives, claiming that 'the retirements have been according to legal procedures.' According to the legal consulting center 'Dadban,' more than 66 university professors have been 'dismissed, suspended, or forced to resign' in the past two years. Mohammad Moein, president of Tehran University, also claimed in an interview published by the Mehr news agency on March 21 that 'I have always said that there are no dismissed professors at Tehran University.' These statements came on the same day that Azin Mohadd, a professor at Tehran University and holder of a post-doctorate in music from Harvard University, reported receiving her 'suspension order' and refuted the claims of Islamic Republic educational officials regarding the absence of professor dismissals. In this context, members of seven scientific associations in the country warned in a statement on September 19 last year about 'widespread dismissals of professors and security confrontations with students,' stating that the gradual and currently accelerating 'dissolution' of the scientific institution exacerbates the current dismal inefficiency of the governing system. Pressures and interventions by the Iranian government's security institutions in universities, as well as confrontations with protesting professors and students, have intensified since September 2022 following widespread protests over the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the Islamic Republic's 'morality police.'