Pressure Intensified On Iranian Students, Professors
Iran’s security and intelligence authorities have mounted pressure on dissenting students and professors as the second semester of the academic year approaches.
Iran’s security and intelligence authorities have mounted pressure on dissenting students and professors as the second semester of the academic year approaches.
Iran's Student Union Council, communicating through its Telegram channel, disclosed that at least five students from Soore University in Tehran have been suspended prior to the commencement of the new semester.
The council claimed the suspension of the students was executed through recent “unlawful procedures within the country's universities,” bypassing the necessity of convening a disciplinary committee meeting.
According to KhabarOnline, authorities have resorted to terms like "termination of cooperation" instead of expulsion, citing academic reasons for ceasing collaboration with the professors.
Additionally, KhabarOnline's investigation indicates that over the past two years, approximately 60 professors from universitiesacross the country have faced expulsion, suspension, or coercion to resign. Notably, the University of Tehran and Tehran University of Medical Sciences have seen the highest number of expulsions or suspensions, with 26 professors affected.
Since the uprising of 2022, dozens of professorshave been expelled using excuses such as forced retirement as the regime cracks down on dissent.
Students were a driving force during the Women, Life, Freedom uprising sparked by the death in morality-police custody of Mahsa Amini, arrested for the 'inappropriate' wearing of her hijab. Thousands of students led protests and were arrested for protesting against the ever brutal crackdowns from the regime.
Those refusing to wear hijab have been excluded from education. It has resulted in the expulsion of hundreds in the wake of the unrest.
“I don’t know about the matter you are referring to,” Naser Kanaani said when asked by a reporter Monday at his weekly press briefing about “an American national’s visit” to Iran. “American citizens are not prohibited from traveling to Iran,” he said.
Wright's visit to Iran last week ignited a firestorm on Iranian social media. Some social media users have alleged that authorities either invited or facilitated her visit due to her outspoken anti-Israeli and pro-Palestinian stances. She further stirred controversy by sharing photos of herself wearing a full hijab, in compliance with Iran's dress code for women, and asserting that Iran is safe "if you follow the rules."
The 32-year-old pornographic actress and erotic model, born in Oklahoma with mixed Welsh and Native American heritage, is known for her strong support of Palestine and vocal anti-Israeli sentiments.
Critics argue that Wright's claim of Iran's safety ignores the fact that not only is pornography banned in Iran, with severe penalties for those involved in its production, but ordinary Iranian women also face humiliation and arrest for not adhering to the country's strict dress code.
In 2018, Iranian web designer Saeed Malekpour, based in Canada, was arrested during a visit to Iran and subsequently sentenced to death for his involvement in designing and moderating pornographic websites. Malekpour, who later managed to flee Iran, maintained that he had no knowledge that his software could be used for sharing pornography.
The Tasnim news agency, linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), quoted "an informed source" on Monday, stating that Wright had not been invited to Iran by any government entity. According to the source, she traveled to Iran privately after obtaining a visa, and visa authorities were unaware of the nature of her profession.
Tasnim also claimed that Wright's visits to locations such as the former American embassy compound in Tehran and the Golestan Palace were entirely her own initiatives and conducted privately.
One of Wright's posts featured her posing beside a lowered American flag at the former US embassy compound in Tehran. In another post, she stood beside a Statue of Liberty, behind which a mural depicted the statue's face as a skeleton on the wall.
Additionally, her posts included a photo of a wall adorned with images of Qasem Soleimani, the former commander of the IRGC's extra-territorial forces, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, an Iraqi militant leader, and Muslim "revolutionaries" from various countries, including Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan. This photo appears to have been taken at the former US embassy building.
Wright expressed disappointment in her post that images of Palestinian revolutionaries were not included in the display.
The embassy compound was seized by revolutionary students in 1979, who held embassy staff hostage for 444 days. The Basij militia organization, affiliated with the IRGC, has been stationed at the former US embassy compound in Tehran since 2018.
In response to criticism, Wright disabled comments on her posts and defended her actions, stating, "Posting photos of my trip to Iran now means I'm pushing Iranian propaganda? I'm sharing exhibits from a museum that are rarely seen. It's not an endorsement of the government." She later removed the photos and videos taken in Iran from her social media platforms following reports by numerous Iranian users.
