Islamic Regime instructed universities on how to suppress 2023 staff, student protests - report

Jerusalem Post/Middle East/Iran NewsThe ministry, in a letter addressed to the heads of universities, higher education institutes and research institutes across Iran, demanded that protests be met with a harsh response.Follow us on GoogleProtesters light fires, set roadblocks in Tehran following the death of Mahsa Amini, September 21, 2022.(photo credit: WANA (WEST ASIA NEWS AGENCY) VIA REUTERS)ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARDJULY 20, 2026 16:54Iran’s Science, Research and Technology sent orders to the country's academic institutions on how to suppress the September 2023 protests, which broke out on the anniversary of the regime’s murder of Mahsa Amini, according to documents newly released by the Amirkabir student newsletter.The ministry, in a letter addressed to the heads of universities, higher education institutes and research institutes across Iran, demanded that protests be met with a harsh response.“Rioting must come with a cost, and a passive stance will embolden the rioters,” Ebrahim Hosseini, the then-director general of the Office for Coordinating Administrative Misconduct Committees for Employees and Faculty Members, wrote.The letter explicitly called for institutions to follow directives issued by Iran’s National Security Council, including the suppression of demonstrations.“Distinguished university presidents can also have a preventive aspect; explaining the results and effects of these measures in making educational and research environments healthy will play a significant role in strengthening and influencing the concept and position of the rule of law in the process of investigating violations. Therefore, it is hoped that the preparation of the requested report and its submission will be put on the agenda as a matter of urgency,” Hosseini wrote.Naz Gharai, from Tehran, is covered in red paint as protesters call on the United Nations to take action against the treatment of women in Iran, following the death of Mahsa Amini while in the custody of the morality police, during a demonstration near UN headquarters in New York City on November 19 (credit: YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty Images)Women, Life, Freedom protests followed Amini's killing by regime's security forcesThe protests broke out across Iran a year after 22-year-old Amini was killed by the regime’s security forces for not wearing her headcovering properly. Her father, Amjad Amini, was briefly arrested on the anniversary of her death, and security forces surrounded the family home to prevent them from attending a graveside ceremony, sparking further public outrage.In the Women, Life, Freedom demonstrations that followed Amini's murder in 2022, more than 500 people, including 71 minors, were killed, hundreds injured, and thousands arrested, according to multiple human rights groups. Follow us on Google