On December 31, 2025, Iranian police arrested Sarireh Karimi, a University of Tehran law student, the student representative of the Faculty of Law and Political Science, and secretary of the Student Council, during a raid on her home.

The University of Tehran’s Central Student Union announced Karimi’s arrest, apparently because of her participation in protests that took place amid a nationwide uprising that began in late December 2025. The uprising was sparked by an economic crisis marked by rapidly rising prices, currency devaluation, and a widespread struggle to afford basic necessities.

At the time of this report in January 2026, Karimi’s whereabouts and condition were unknown.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about the arbitrary arrest and imprisonment of a student 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 other related higher education values.

Sources:
https://wncri.org/2026/01/01/female-students-melli-university-beheshti/
https://iran-hrm.com/2026/01/06/systematic-suppression-of-universities-in-eight-days-of-nationwide-uprising-in-iran/
https://www.iranintl.com/en/202512317263