Students Across Iran Remain United in Opposing Suspensions and Expulsions

A translation of full Statement

Dozens of student organizations across Iran have joined together to demand an end to suspension and expulsion policies and to defend students’ right to education.

[Unofficial Translation]

Expulsion and Suspension Rulings Must Be Overturned

Joint Statement of Student Publications June 23, 2026

What has taken place at the university in recent months reflects the continuation of a deeply concerning pattern in the disciplinary treatment of students — a pattern that has not only failed to diminish, but has expanded further under the silence and inaction of the university administration. The formation of at least 30 disciplinary cases, the issuance of suspension and expulsion rulings against at least 13 students to date, and the confirmation of some of these rulings on appeal have placed the education and future of a number of students at this university under serious threat.

At a critical moment when the university administration was expected to defend students’ rights and uphold the dignity of the university, its conduct over recent months has demonstrated that such support has not materialized. Even the most basic follow-up regarding students who have faced multiple forms of pressure and detention has not been carried out adequately.

Reports concerning the proceedings of certain disciplinary committee sessions have raised even more serious concerns. These sessions, which are expected to be conducted according to clear legal standards and with respect for students’ dignity, have at times become spaces for subjective judgments and intrusions into individuals’ private lives. In some cases, students have even been accused of grave offenses such as “being complicit in the killing of fellow citizens.”¹ The very raising of such accusations within these mechanisms casts further doubt on the fairness of the proceedings and the observance of disciplinary regulations.

Recent administrative innovations provide further evidence of this troubling trend. One example is the change of a graduate’s status, at the very moment of receiving their diploma, from “graduate” to “undetermined,” solely to enable the disciplinary committee to issue a ruling. Such actions paint a disturbing picture of selective rule-making in dealing with the university community.

We, a group of student publications, declare our support for the letter signed by a number of students and graduates of Sharif University of Technology, which calls for the overturning of suspension and expulsion rulings. We believe that the continuation of this process not only increases the psychological and social pressures on students, but also erodes and demoralizes the university environment as a whole.

We are fully aware that, under current circumstances, signing a letter alone may not be enough to change the existing approach or immediately halt the issuance of these rulings. Yet this action is, above all else, a rejection of student collective silence. We cannot stand by, remain mere spectators, and silently watch our classmates be excluded and expelled. Adding our signatures is the very least we can do to stand alongside one another and to record our position and sense of responsibility at this moment.

In the short time that remains to reverse these unjust rulings, we call upon all responsible students and graduates to sign this letter and encourage others to join it, so that they may become the voice of their fellow members of the university community.

You can find signatories below. Partner Publications