On February 26, 2024, media sources reported that the Central Committee of the Ministry of Science had barred Sepehr Rathi, a student in aerospace engineering and the secretary general of the Islamic Association at the Khajeh Nasir Toosi University, from all educational activities for two semesters.

The Central Committee summoned Rathi for a disciplinary hearing, accusing him of disrupting university affairs because of his protests against the behavior of Iranian security forces.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about government bans on access to higher education in retaliation for the exercise of the right to freedom of expression. Higher education and state authorities should respect students’ exercise of such rights and refrain from disciplinary actions that punish or deter nonviolent expressive activity. In addition to the harm to the immediate victims, disciplinary actions intended to deter or punish support for ongoing protests undermine academic freedom and democratic society generally.

Sources:
https://ir.voanews.com/a/continuation-of-pressure-on-student-activists/7501644.html
https://twitter.com/wais_global/status/1761752476925952179
https://iranwire.com/fa/news-1/125733
https://sahebkhabar.ir/news/65372978