Amid a widening wave of protest gatherings across universities in Tehran, authorities have initiated a new round of disciplinary measures and restrictions targeting students.
Between Monday, February 23, and Wednesday, February 25, at least 180 students received text messages informing them that their alleged participation in recent protest gatherings was deemed “in violation of educational and disciplinary regulations.” Pending hearings before university disciplinary committees, these students have been barred from entering campus premises and accessing academic facilities.
The state-affiliated newspaper Shargh has acknowledged that, in the aftermath of recent student demonstrations, a significant number of students at universities in Tehran have been summoned to disciplinary committees. According to the report, in some institutions, charge-notification sessions were conducted at extremely short intervals, reportedly as brief as 15 minutes, raising concerns about due process and procedural fairness.
At Melli University, following a protest on February 20, disciplinary cases were reportedly opened against at least 15 students. At Sharif University of Technology, multiple students have likewise been summoned to disciplinary hearings. Students state that in several instances, allegations were brought forward without the presentation of sufficient evidence. Some of those summoned assert that they were not even present in Tehran at the time the protests occurred.
Reports indicate that at the University of Tehran, between 40 and 50 students were called before disciplinary committees in a single day, with the pace of summonses accelerating from Tuesday morning onward. At University of Science and Technology in Tehran, between 80 and 100 disciplinary cases have reportedly been initiated. Meanwhile, at Amirkabir University of Technology, students have been summoned alongside formal warnings of “uncompromising” enforcement measures.
Simultaneously, dozens of students have reportedly been banned from campus entry. More than 60 students were denied access without receiving formal written notification, based solely on verbal instructions from university security offices. In several institutions, security personnel have reportedly blocked students at campus entrances by checking and invalidating student identification cards.
Student protests against the government continued for a fourth consecutive day on Tuesday. In some universities, tensions escalated into confrontations and instances of violence. The developments reflect the persistence of unrest within academic institutions and signal mounting concern among authorities over the potential expansion of student-led demonstrations.
