After the widespread arrests and imprisonment of students who had been at the forefront of the 2022-2023 uprising, the Iranian regime has begun depriving students of education to exert more pressure on this intellectual and freedom-loving class. Among those who were denied education are a considerable number of female students.
The students who were denied education included Zahra Rahimi, a chemistry student at Yazd University; Shahin Dabestani, a medical science student in Tabriz; Aida Ghorbani, an Italian language student at Tehran University; Shakiba Hoshiar, a mechanical engineering student at Razi University in Kermanshah, Niloufar Mirzaii, a graphics student at Al-Zahra University in Tehran, and students from Damghan University such as Bahareh Davani, Mobina Yaqubzadeh, Mahsa Soltani, and Parizad Esmaili.
Student falls ill during the disciplinary committee hearing
On April 16, the Disciplinary Council of Yazd University handed down a two-year ban on studying to Zahra Rahimi, a chemistry student. The day before, on April 15, she had been summoned for the third time to the disciplinary committee, where the university president insulted her. The intense mental pressure she experienced caused her condition to deteriorate, so an ambulance had to be called for her as she suffered from a heart condition.
On April 13, it was reported on social media that four female students from Damghan University, namely Bahareh Davani, Mobina Yaqubzadeh, Mahsa Soltani, and Parizad Esmaili, have been banned from studying for one semester on the orders of the university’s disciplinary council. The decisions made by the Disciplinary Appeals Council of the university have been confirmed objectively.
Additionally, on April 12, news of Niloufar Mirzaii’s exclusion from education was reported. Niloufar Mirzaii, a graphics student at Al-Zahra University, was arrested on November 1, 2022, during nationwide protests by plainclothes officers and taken to Evin prison. Her court session was held two months later, on January 30, and she was among the prisoners released from prison on February 12, 2023.
The disciplinary committee of Al-Zahra University has suspended her education for two semesters, and she is not allowed to use the university dormitory until the end of her studies. This ruling makes it very difficult for Nilufar to continue her studies.
Shakiba Hoshiar, a mechanical engineering student in her final semester at Razi University in Kermanshah, has been denied education for two semesters (2.5 years) by the disciplinary committee for participating in student rallies during the nationwide protests of 2022. This news was posted on social media on April 10.
She was also subjected to arrest and physical assault by security forces on October 1, 2022. She spent a week in solitary confinement in the detention center of the Kermanshah Intelligence Department and was interrogated for hours every day. Eventually, she was released on bail of 200 million tomans.
On April 9, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences banned 16 medical students from attending classes as a punishment for participating in a protest against the poisoning of students. The protest was held on the university campus on March 7, 2023. The Disciplinary Committee Council of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences has imposed a two-and-a-half academic year ban on six students and a one-and-a-half-year ban on the remaining ten students, accusing them of “creating or participating in riots and unrest.”
Furthermore, according to the news on social media published on March 29, Aida Ghorbani, a student of Italian language at Tehran University, has been denied education for one semester. Despite her appeal, the decision was upheld. She was also expelled from the university dormitory without prior notice or notification of the verdict. In addition, her course selection has also been canceled.
Punished for Seeking Freedom and Justice
These students have committed no crime other than seeking freedom and justice. Zahra Rahimi, a student at Yazd University who fell ill during her disciplinary committee hearing, took to Twitter after recovering, saying: “During the committee meeting, as I felt sick and struggled to breathe, my heart pounding more restlessly than ever, I could only think of one thing: when will Iran, when will humanity see happiness? I am sorry for this cruelty. I am sorry to those who brought me to the brink of death.
“They did this to me, a twenty-year-old girl. Zahra has come back from the dead. Though her hands are still shaking and it’s hard for her to breathe, she shares this post to let everyone know she is still alive.”