Seven professors at Iran's Kermanshah University have been fired after a video of them performing a Kurdish folk dance at a graduation ceremony went viral, angering university officials.
The video from the event, which was held on June 1 but only recently posted, shows several students and professors of both sexes dancing freely on a stage at the ceremony at the medical school in western Iran.
The Norway-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that the professors were fired because of the "mixed-sex Kurdish dancing of students" and the improper wearing of the hijab by women at the ceremony.
After the video went viral, the university's public relations department condemned the action, saying it was organized without official permission and had crossed "red lines."
قسمتهایی از مراسم فارغالتحصیلی دانشجویان دانشکده داروسازی دانشگاه علوم پزشکی #کرمانشاه که منجر به اخراج هفت استاد شد. pic.twitter.com/W6avRTVsIv
— Sirwan Mansouri (@MansouriSirwan) July 9, 2022
Iran is regularly criticized by human rights organizations for suppressing civil rights religious and personal freedoms, even in private settings.
Police have previously raided private events and gatherings and arrested people for "mixed-sex dancing" and "not wearing a hijab."
In response to the government's increased pressure on civil rights, several social-media activists have promoted a campaign for women to come out on the streets of Iranian cities without a hijab on July 12.