Dozens of university professors condemn arrest of protesting students, demand their release

More than 200 professors from various universities in Iran issued a statement on Thursday condemning the repression and arrest of students and calling on other professors to respond to the widespread arrest of students during the ongoing protests.

In a statement released on Thursday, October 27, the university professors described the students' protest "against oppression and structural wrongdoings" as "an indication of the moral commitment, dynamism of the university atmosphere, and students' loyalty to noble ideals such as anti-oppression, justice, and freedom." They said: "Everyone should appreciate the existence of such students who are willing to sacrifice themselves and pay the price for defending freedom, justice, and human dignity, and bow down to their moral and humane activism."

Continuing with this statement, these university professors considered "the widespread indifference and silence in the university environment due to fear of the costs of expressing opinions, idealism, and anti-oppression to be contrary to human, moral, and religious values" and called on their colleagues to "express their opinions and take a stand in defense of anti-oppression, justice, and freedom."

The Committee to Follow Up on the Status of Those Arrested in the Shahrivar 1401 Protests confirmed in its latest report on October 27 the arrest of 63 students from various universities in the country.

In their statement today, 204 university professors also expressed concern about the "health status and fate of the detained students, given their previous experiences," and called for "the release of these students and their attendance at classes as soon as possible," and declared: "Otherwise, the unrest and concern in the university environment will continue, and the university will not return to its usual environment."

Simultaneously with widespread domestic and international protests over the killing of Mahsa Amini, a victim of Iran's mandatory hijab law, students at various universities in the country held protest rallies and issued separate statements announcing that they would refuse to attend classes until all detained students were released , and some have also announced their resignations.

Meanwhile, a number of university professors have also issued statements supporting the student protest movement, calling for an end to social repression and the immediate release of all detainees, including students.

In the early days of the protest rallies, a number of universities announced that classes would be held virtually in the first week.

Ali Shamsipour, spokesman for the Ministry of Science, announced on Thursday that classes at all universities in the country will be held in person starting Saturday, October 25.

Source: Radio Farda