The Iranian regime continues to suspend and jail students because of their political and social activities, the most recent cases being Afarin Najafizadeh and Motahareh Gouneii.
Mechanical engineering student Afarin Najafizadeh suspended from university
The Disciplinary Appeals Committee sentenced Afarin Najafizadeh, a mechanical engineering student at Tehran’s University of Science and Technology, to a half-year suspension from the university.
“The case was filed one day after I participated in the Student’s Day press conference and after reports were written by Sharq, Etemad, Emtedad, Ensaf dailies, among others, on December 5, 2022,” Afarin wrote in a social media post.
“In the three cases for which I was summoned to the disciplinary committee, the university’s security department repeatedly referred to my ‘establishing the working group to defend the rights of the University of Science and Technology students’ as a prelude to their complaint, and this time as a hypothetical violation, they also referred to an interview I had last year with the Ham-Mihan newspaper, as the secretary of the suspended (student) association.”
Pointing out that this ruling was issued for reasons such as posting pictures from her travels or even pictures taken in her home, she said that her student newsletter was canceled and that she was banned from entering the university without receiving any notification.
Motahareh Gouneii transferred to the women’s ward of Evin Prison
According to other reports, suspended student Motahareh Gouneii was transferred to the women’s ward of Tehran’s Evin Prison following her arrest.
Motahareh Gouneii, a suspended Tehran University dental student and the former political secretary of Tehran University’s Islamic Student Association, was arrested and transferred to Evin prison on Wednesday, May 1, after being summoned via phone by the IRGC intelligence Department. There is still no information on why she is being charged.
Three days ago, Ms. Gouneii, together with another student activist, held a sit-in outside Tehran’s Music House for a few hours to protest the death sentence for rapper Toomaj Salehi. She has been under pressure by security agencies since the sit-in.
Motahareh said she was summoned by the IRGC’s Sarullah Corps, who were posing as the Public Places’ Police.
Before this, Motahareh Gouneii was expelled from Tehran University and prohibited from studying at any institution for the next five years.
