On February 5, 2024, Professor Ahmad Shekarchi announced on Instagram that Shahid Beheshti University (SBU) had dismissed him from his position as an assistant professor of sociology.

The university notified Shekarchi of his dismissal through a letter informing him that his contract would not be renewed. The news sparked widespread condemnation, particularly among students at the university’s Faculty of Social Sciences. In a statement published on the Telegram channel of the country’s student union councils, fifty students expressed their solidarity with Dr. Shekarchi, lauding his dedication to academic excellence and ethical principles. The students denounced what they described as an ongoing campaign of repression within academic institutions, citing Dr. Shekarchi’s participation in a joint statement signed by over 200 professors protesting the arbitrary arrests of students in late 2022.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about the dismissal of an academic in apparent retaliation for exercising his right to freedom of expression – 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. Higher education authorities have a responsibility not to interfere with expressive activity, so long as that activity is undertaken peacefully and responsibly. Dismissals aimed at limiting such expressive activity harms academic freedom and related higher education values including autonomy and social responsibility.

Sources:
https://iranwire.com/en/news/125096-iranian-professor-who-protested-student-arrests-sacked/
https://ir.voanews.com/a/dismissal-of-25-humanities-professors-of-tehran-university-in-two-years/7477381.html
https://komalah.org/%D8%A7%D8%AE%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AC-%D8%A7%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF-%D8%B4%DA%A9%D8%B1%DA%86%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B4%DA%AF%D8%A7%D9%87-%D8%A8%D9%87%D8%B4%D8%AA%DB%8C-%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%B1%D8%A7/