SAR’s Academic Freedom Monitoring Project investigates and reports attacks on higher education with the aim of raising awareness, generating advocacy, and increasing protection for scholars, students, and academic communities. Learn more.

Date of Incident: October 28, 2022

Attack Types: Killings, Violence, Disappearances | Imprisonment

Institution(s):Jondishapour University

Region & Country:Southern Asia | Iran

New or Ongoing:New Incident

On October 28, 2022, Iranian security forces raided the Sadaf dormitory at Jondishapour University in Ahvaz and forcibly arrested at least two students

The security forces reportedly cut off the electricity and shut down the mobile internet before entering the dormitory in plain clothes. A video shared by students showed men dragging one of their peers, Mohammad Safaei, while he screamed for help. These arrests led to more protests as students gathered on campus grounds afterwards.

The raid and arrests occurred in the context of nationwide protests, largely led by students, that spread across Iran after the death of Mahsa Amini while in custody of the “morality police.”

Scholars at Risk is concerned by security forces forcibly arresting students in apparent retaliation for their participation in student protests. Students have a right to the freedom of expression and freedom of assembly on campus, and this conduct is protected by international human rights instruments including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is party to. State authorities should refrain from such disciplinary actions and respect students’ rights. In addition to the harm to the immediate victims, disciplinary actions intended to deter or punish organized student expression undermine academic freedom and democratic society generally.

Sources:
https://www.iranintl.com/en/202210302308
https://twitter.com/PARTIZAN_AHVAZ/status/1586162455331627008?s=20&t=w6GlmRwcqrO7ETUEO8ck5Q
https://twitter.com/IranIntl_En/status/1586160596256374785?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1586160596256374785%7Ctwgr%5E2536eeaa0963c06a8a50ac0b69a1fa22da3c5fac%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fd-8283570782077883342.ampproject.net%2F2308242321000%2Fframe.html
https://twitter.com/Vahid/status/1586536154815348736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1586536154815348736%7Ctwgr%5E537842d7ade63db3c11ebf933da751c25e816bdf%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fd-16595648472263573442.ampproject.net%2F2309011827000%2Fframe.html
https://iranprimer.usip.org/blog/2022/nov/10/explainer-irans-university-protests
https://www.ncr-iran.org/en/news/brief-on-iran-nationwide-uprising-october-29-2022/