Iranian Professor Who Protested Student Arrests Sacked

A professor at Tehran’s Shahid Beheshti University has been dismissed, amid intensifying efforts by the Islamic Republic authorities to purge the country’s academic institutions of elements deemed undesirable.

Professor Ahmad Shekarchi announced his dismissal on his Instagram account on February 5, saying he had received a letter from the university administration stating that his contract wouldn't be renewed.

Fifty students at the university’s Faculty of Social Sciences protested the move in a statement published on the Telegram channel of the country's student union councils.

Hailing Shekarchi’s commitment to academics and ethics, the students denounced the ongoing “repression" campaign in academic institutions.

The statement highlighted that Shekarchi had co-signed a statement by 200 professors protesting the widespread arrests of students, a move it said demonstrated his adherence to "moral and humane standards."

In a report released on February 7, KhabarOnline said that 25 professors at Tehran University have been dismissed or barred from teaching over the past two years.