Tehran University Students Protest Dormitory Closures, Online Classes

Students at the University of Tehran have held protests for the second consecutive night, according to videos posted on social media, following a decision to close the dormitories and hold classes online for more than a month.

The protests began at the university campus on the afternoon of February 27 before reaching the men’s and women’s dormitory complexes, where the demonstrators chanted slogans such as "Student, shout, shout your rights.”

Students said they were "threatened and attacked by dormitory officials," and that security agents attempted to identify the protesters by pulling their masks off their faces.

Mahmoud Kamre'i, the University of Tehran's educational vice president, announced that the dormitories will be closed and courses will be held online until April 27, citing "lack of funding and coincidence with Ramadan."

Students claim that university officials want to prevent students from holding anti-government rallies at the university and dormitories during Nowruz, the Persian New Year holiday.

Iranian universities have been at the forefront of the nationwide protests sparked by the September death of a 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini, in the custody of morality police.

More than 140 universities have been the scene of protests, sit-ins and violent clashes between students and security forces.

Hundreds of students have been barred from universities, arrested or killed by the armed forces, while a number of professors and lecturers have been suspended or fired for expressed solidarity with the demonstrators.

In defiance of authorities' warnings, many students refuse to attend classes until their demands are met: the unconditional release of all arrested students, the cancelation of arrest warrants for the released students, the lifting of academic suspensions and the withdrawal of security forces from campuses.