Iranian students harassed, given disciplinary hearings for refusing to wear hijab at university

As women across Iran continue to protest against strict hijab laws, universities have taken stringent measures by suspending and initiating violent crackdowns against female students to suppress the uprisings, The Guardian has reported.

More women have posted video recordings of themselves dancing or walking without the hijab, while several students spoke to the publication to reveal that at least 60 students have been banned from their university, called at disciplinary committee hearings and harassed on campus for not wearing the hijab.

According to the Student Council of Iranian Universities, at least 40 female students have been conditionally suspended from their campuses for failing to follow the hijab rule. While The Human Rights Activists (THRA) in Iran reported that at least 64 students have been suspended and three expelled.

Nine suspended activists told the publication that arrests of young women are on the rise, and they were warned of serious consequences if they did not adhere to the mandatory policy of wearing their hijab.

“We’re being mass banned from the campus for refusing to wear a hijab, and in the past few days there has been a violent crackdown on us for peacefully sitting in protest,” said a student who was studying in a university in Tehran. She further revealed that security officials had violently thrown women out of classrooms.

Another anonymous student from Mashhad spoke about her suspension for protesting on the 40th day of Mahsa Amini’s death:

“I have been slapped with repeated temporary suspensions for protesting on the 40th day of Mahsa Amini’s death. Considering that I will be suspended again next semester, I will fall behind a whole year. I dream of studying abroad, but unfortunately, given the current situation, my future is dark.”

Another student’s account revealed that sharing social media posts related to Mahsa Amini’s death could have severe consequences leading to being suspended and failing their courses, as violent crackdowns continue to rise in Iran.

“Three days after I shared a post about death sentences, the university security team confiscated my phone after raiding our residence hall,” spoke a student from Tehran. “They also collected protest posters or anything related to the ongoing revolution and warned us of worse consequences.

“I doubt the officers barging into our dormitories are from the university’s security team. I’ve never seen them before. The next day, I was temporarily suspended along with three of my friends.”

Another student in Tehran revealed: “The university administration is acting like an extended arm of the Islamic Republic. I was preparing my applications for a master’s in the EU, but I fear I’ll neither receive a recommendation letter, nor will I receive the relevant grades necessary for my application. I’ve been warned by my university’s administration that I’ll get zero grades if I don’t apologise and retract my social media posts in support of the revolution.”

Professors who support the protests have also been violently attacked or expelled from campuses.

The protests in Iran began in September 2022 after the brutal death of 22 year old Mahsa Amini, who was severely beaten by Guidance Patrol officers for refusing to wear a hjijab. She later passed away in a hospital from her injuries. Since then, nation wide protests began through out Iran as the slogan ‘Zen, Zendagi, Azaadi’ was adapted as a protest against human rights violations committed by the Iranian government.