On October 30, 2022, Iranian state police used force against students protesting at Sanandaj Girls Technical College.

According to media reports, security forces fired tear gas and live rounds at women students protesting at the College. A video posted on Youtube shows smoke billowing on the campus, with protesters heard chanting in the background. CNN reported that a video obtained from Iran Wire showed two uniformed officers attempting to arrest a protester.

The event occurred as protests escalated across Iran following the death-in-custody of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested by Iran’s “morality police” on September 16. Widespread clashes were reported between university students and Iranian forces on October 30.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about violence by state security forces in retaliation for the peaceful exercise of the right to freedom of expression and association – conduct which 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 a signatory. In addition to harm to the immediate victims, such use of violence and arbitrary arrests undermine academic freedom, institutional autonomy, and democratic society generally.

Sources:
*SAR identified this incident in data made publicly available by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED)
https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/30/middleeast/iran-protests-clashes-sunday-intl/index.html
https://www.iranintl.com/en/202210305824
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mfu2RBDngP0