Iranian university expels six students accused of participating in protests

Iran’s leading engineering university has expelled six students over alleged participation in anti‑government protests earlier this year, according to local media.

The protests that began in December over rising living costs evolved into broader anti‑establishment demonstrations, reaching a peak in January. Smaller rallies continued on campuses in the weeks that followed.

“The Disciplinary Committee of Sharif University of Technology, in separate preliminary rulings, expelled six students for their alleged roles in the unrest of February,” reported Fars news agency.

Fars said the students were accused of leading illegal gatherings, using insulting language, engaging in activities against the Islamic Republic, and committing other disciplinary violations.

It is unclear whether the students also face charges before Iran’s criminal or revolutionary courts.

The agency added that the students were accused of displaying and promoting the Lion and Sun emblem, a symbol that appeared on Iran’s flag before the 1979 Islamic Revolution that toppled US‑backed leader Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi.

The emblem is widely used by opponents of the Islamic Republic, including supporters of exiled prince Reza Pahlavi.

The anti‑government protests in January were met with a crackdown that foreign rights groups describe as having killed thousands, while Iranian authorities blame the violence on “terrorists” working for the United States and Israel.

AFP

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