On February 1-2, 2026, Iranian security forces arrested Pedram Alamdari, editor-in-chief of Yol, a student publication, and Somayeh Heydari, a member of Yol’s editorial board. Both are also physics students at the University of Tabriz.

Authorities also confiscated their mobile phones and laptops. Their arrests occurred amid reports that the Iranian government was repressing dissent and cracking down on university campuses.

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://www.instagram.com/p/DUTpsHUkS_N/
https://www.deffi.org/en/continued-detention-of-journalists-and-disruption-of-professional-journalistic-activities-in-iran/
https://mesana.org/advocacy/committee-on-academic-freedom/2026/06/29/letter-regarding-the-intensifying-repression-of-students-across-iran