TEHRAN — Student protests have started across Iran due to modifications in university entrance requirements and education policies. These demonstrations began in May and escalated in size over the past week.
Protests have taken place in provinces including Fars, Gilan, Isfahan, Khuzestan, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Lorestan, Mazandaran, North Khorasan, Qazvin, Qom, Razavi Khorasan, Sistan and Baluchestan, Tehran, West Azarbaijan, Yazd, Zanjan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, and Markazi. Protesters are seeking the elimination of the fixed impact of 11th-grade GPA scores on the national university entrance examination.
Multiple violent clashes occurred during recent student protests. An unspecified number of students were injured during clashes in Yazd province, and education department staff confronted protesters in Saveh. Additionally, at least one arrest was made during a protest in Qom.
University authorities have suspended or expelled students for online activities, including profile content, private group messages, and content reposted on social networks. Between five and seven students at Sharif University were expelled, and over 20 students from the same university received suspensions ranging from one to three semesters.
Four students from Kermanshah University were barred from campus after authorities accused them of spreading false information, publishing images of a university sit-in, and organizing protest gatherings. Separately, 75 students at Shahid Sadoughi Technical University were hospitalized after consuming food provided by the institution. A student reported the university president told attendees to eat at restaurants if they were not satisfied with the subsidized 1,300 toman meals.
Iranian authorities implemented an almost three-month nationwide internet blackout following protests in January. While internet access has mostly been restored, authorities maintain restrictions on online content. Human rights organizations stated that security forces killed tens of thousands of individuals during the January protests. Authorities previously threatened individuals using circumvention tools to access blocked websites with espionage charges, which can carry a death penalty.
No independent assessment was available for this report.