Middle East Studies Association

April 08, 2024
Committee on Academic Freedom

Profiles of Dismissed Iranian Academics

Academic freedom violations in 2021-2023
March 2024

Introduction

A new wave of pressure on Iranian academics began with the inauguration of Ebrahim Raisi’s conservative government in 2021. This pressure escalated significantly following the Woman, Life, Freedom nationwide movement in 2022, in which Iranian universities emerged as significant hubs of activism. As a result, many scholars who opposed government intervention in the academic life of the universities--including police raids on campuses--and signed letters in support of detained or suspended students or simply voiced their disagreement with the university's handling of the situation, were fired, suspended, prohibited from teaching, or forced into early retirement.

To compile the Profiles of Dismissed Iranian Academics, we consulted official university letters, public announcements by relevant professors, statements from their peers at the same or other universities, and newspaper reports. The following elements should be taken into consideration when using this profile:

1. The Profiles are based on information collected from daily newspapers in Iran. Best efforts were made to crosscheck them with other sources, including the information posted on platforms of the scientific associations or by dismissed academics on their social media accounts.

2. The dates entered for the dismissals are not always accurate, as they represent the dates when the news of the dismissals appeared in the media.

3. Most of the professors dismissed in 2022 were verbally notified by the dean or Herasat office (branch of the Ministry of Security in universities) that their work would be suspended. The legal procedures require that they receive formal letters from the head of faculty and have the opportunity to present their case before a disciplinary committee. In some cases, the professors requested official letters of dismissals, but their request was denied by the university.

4. Most of the dismissed faculty were informed that their work had been terminated due to “general disqualification” or “disqualification for non-scientific issues.” The terms, interpreted as political disqualification, put academics at risk of not getting a job at other colleges or universities even though their academic qualifications are uncontested.

5. Some academics were fired under legally mandated terms: Professors are required to retire at the age of 65 or after 30 years of service, as per the “Academic Staff Employment Rule at Universities and Higher Education and Research Institutes.” If the institutes still need their services, they may be asked to continue; however, the terms are applied differently in each case depending on political and personal ties to the administration.

6. In some instances, the university denied or reversed its dismissal of a professor due to undisclosed pressures or mediation, resulting in a return to work. These specific cases are detailed in the file to the degree possible.

7. The names of the individuals, faculties, and universities are taken from the universities' official English websites. When a profile was unavailable on the university’s website, it was taken from the academic’s official social media pages. When data could not be accessed, the item was left blank.

8. A few professors have gone through what is known as a “teaching ban,” by which their names are removed from platforms that offer their courses to enrolled students. Some have had their names added back to the platform after enrollment.

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Profiles of Dismissed Iranian Academics

Profiles of Dismissed Iranian Academics

Academic freedom violations in 2021-2023 March 2024

Introduction

List of the Names

Profiles of Academics who have been Dismissed since 2021

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Academic freedom violations in 2021-2023
March 2024

Profiles of Academics who have been
Dismissed since 2021