More Security Patrols at Iranian Universities

In the third week of Iran’s new academic year, pressure on students and professors continues to escalate, with the authorities implementing new forms of repression that a student Telegram channel said are part of a project to "Islamize universities."

"In recent days, joint patrols comprising security forces and plainclothes officers have engaged in confrontations with university students," said the Amirkabir Newsletter Telegram channel, which covers news related to Amirkabir University.

These patrols have targeted students for "mixed-gender sitting," "un-Islamic or improper clothing such as short pants and open-front coats, as well as piercings."

According to IranWire sources, a member of the security team at Amirkabir University named Zoghi has been involved in repressing students on the campus.

"Mr. Zoghi is the one who has expelled many of us from the university, preventing us from studying alongside our friends,” one student said. “He becomes more audacious with each passing day. One day, he stops female students by his motorcycle, another day he threatens them, and yet another day he hands students over to the special unit, despite having promised they would be safe."

There are also reports of female students being handed over to plainclothes forces by the head of security in Amirkabir University.

The security forces have also interfered with the conduct of classes. They have requested that classrooms remain open, allowing them to peer inside to ensure female students are wearing proper hijab.

Students are also not allowed to close the curtains in the classrooms. 

At Allameh Tabatabai University, the Council of Students' Union reported that at least 20 female students at the Faculty of Social Sciences were confronted by officers when entering the faculty.

The council also reported the dismissal of more professors in Iranian universities. 

Ali Asghar Khodayari, of the Faculty of Mining Engineering, was dismissed as part of a crackdown on those who support protesting students.

The Etimad newspaper reported last week that 32,000 professors at Azad University have been removed from their posts since the beginning of the year.