On January 4, 2026, security forces locked students protesting at Tarbiat Modares University on their campus, apparently to prevent them from engaging in public protests.

The students had gathered at Tarbiat Modares University’s central library and marched toward the university’s main gate while chanting protest slogans. By the time they reached the exit, security forces had intervened by locking the main gates, physically trapping the students inside to stop them from joining protests in the streets. Students subsequently reported scattered arrests around the campus perimeter.

The protests 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 security forces forcibly containing students on campus and arresting them in order to prevent their 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://iran-hrm.com/2026/01/06/systematic-suppression-of-universities-in-eight-days-of-nationwide-uprising-in-iran/
https://t.me/EEAUT/9896