In a concerning turn of events, at least 60 female students in Iran have been barred from attending university due to their refusal to comply with the country's mandatory hijab law. Recent videos shared by citizen journalists have shed light on the harassment faced by women and girls in subways, streets, and university campuses at the hands of disciplinary committees and pro-regime civilians. In response, female university students across the nation have taken to recording themselves without headscarves in an act of defiance.
Female activists have reported an increase in detentions and arrests of young women. These activists have also received warnings of severe consequences if they continue to defy the mandatory hijab law. Nine suspended students expressed concerns to the reporters about their future educational prospects after being given suspensions and campus bans.
"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," One student from a university in Tehran revealed.
She further added that security officials had forcefully removed them from classrooms, while professors who supported them had also faced attacks and campus bans.
The students' council of Iranian universities reported that at least 40 female students had been "conditionally suspended" for failing to fully observe hijab rules. However, The Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRAI) stated that the number of suspended students amounted to at least 64, with three others expelled.
Speaking anonymously, a student from Mashhad, a city in northeastern Iran, shared her experience.
"I have been repeatedly suspended for protesting on the 40th day of Mahsa Amini's death. Considering that I will face suspension again next semester, I will fall behind for an entire year. I dream of studying abroad, but unfortunately, given the current situation, my future is dark," a student stated.
Students have also claimed that university security teams are conducting violent raids on dormitories and expelling students who share social media posts in support of protesters and those who have received death sentences.
"Three days after I shared a post about death sentences, the university security team confiscated my phone after raiding our residence hall. They also collected protest posters and anything related to the ongoing revolution, warning us of even worse consequences. The next day, I was temporarily suspended along with three of my friends," one of the students from Tehran stated.
Another student in Tehran expressed concern about the university administration's behavior.
"The university administration is acting like an extended arm of the Islamic Republic. I was preparing my applications for a master's program in the EU, but I fear I'll neither receive a recommendation letter nor the necessary grades due to my social media posts in support of the revolution. My university's administration warned me that I'll receive zero grades unless I apologize and retract those posts," the student noted.
Jasmin Ramsey, deputy director of the non-profit Centre for Human Rights in Iran, highlighted the Iranian government's history of persecuting university students engaged in peaceful protests. She condemned the sham "hearings" conducted by university disciplinary committees, where students and professors are presumed guilty without an opportunity to prove their innocence.
Despite the hardships faced, one student remained stoic, acknowledging the sacrifices made by others in the fight for freedom.
“There are those who lost their eyes; there are those who were murdered. Compared to what they've suffered for the freedom of Iran, my suspension is nothing,” the student voiced.
The situation has sparked outrage both within Iran and internationally, with human rights organizations calling on the Iranian government to respect the rights of students and ensure their access to education without discrimination based on personal beliefs or attire.
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