On December 30, 2025, Iranian security forces arrested five students while they were nonviolently protesting at the University of Tehran in support of the nationwide movement calling for political change.

According to student Telegram channels, security forces arrested undergraduate students Mobin Aminian, Aref Hadi-Nejad, and Mani Eidi, as well as PhD student Shahin Shokouhi. Forces also detained Abolfazl Morovvati, a graduate student in computer engineering at Sharif University of Technology, who had joined the protest at the University of Tehran.

A student media outlet reported that all five students were released later that day.

The protest took place amidst a nationwide uprising that began in late December 2025, sparked by an economic crisis marked by rapidly rising prices, currency devaluation, and a widespread struggle to afford basic necessities. As the movement gained momentum, grievances grew to include dissatisfaction with government practices, lack of accountability, and the absence of legal avenues for dissent. By early January 2026, the government cut off internet access, causing a complete communications blackout.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about the arbitrary arrest of students in apparent retaliation for the peaceful exercise of the 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://www.iranintl.com/en/202512300366
https://iran-hrm.com/2026/01/06/systematic-suppression-of-universities-in-eight-days-of-nationwide-uprising-in-iran/
https://x.com/IranIntl_En/status/2006114905439469601
https://t.me/EEAUT/9820
https://t.me/EEAUT/9806