On April 2, 2024, Hasti Amiri and Zia Nabavi, two student activists studying at Allameh Tabataba’i University, shared on social media that they had been summoned to Evin prison to begin their one-year prison sentence on April 6, 2024.

The duo was convicted of “propaganda against the Islamic Republic” for their participation in a March 7 demonstration condemning a series of apparent chemical poisonings that have affected hundreds of girls’ schools in Iran since November 2022, sparking international concern and condemnation.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about the arbitrary imprisonment and prosecution of students in apparent retaliation for the peaceful exercise of their rights to freedom of expression and assembly — conduct that is expressly protected by international human rights instruments including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which the Islamic Republic of Iran is a party. In addition to the harm to the immediate victim, such incidents have a chilling effect on academic freedom and undermine democratic society generally.

Sources:
https://iranwire.com/en/news/126885-two-iranian-students-sentenced-to-prison-after-protesting-school-poisonings/
https://twitter.com/HRANA_English/status/1775101094546358457
https://twitter.com/iranhrs_en/status/1775502440877457790
https://twitter.com/ZiaNabavi1/status/1774914289423298957
https://x.com/wais_global/status/1775588064925991077?s=20