Hundreds of Iranian students are said to be facing disciplinary committees and possible suspensions at Al-Zahra University in Tehran over issues related to the mandatory wearing of hijabs on campus.
According to the Telegram channel Voice of Al-Zahra Students, since the beginning of the Persian New Year in late March, at least 35 students have been suspended from studying for one to two semesters due to issues related to the mandatory hijab and have been deprived of dormitory access until the end of their studies.
The report further states that seven of these students have already been penalized, with five students immediately expelled from the dormitory where they lived.
The report follows an announcement by Sepideh Rashno, a 28-year-old writer and student arrested last year for refusing to wear the mandatory hijab, of her suspension from the university. Rashno revealed on her Instagram account that she has been banned from studying for two semesters for "not observing the Islamic dress code."
In a report titled The Shadow Of Suppression And Suspension Over Al-Zahra University, the Voice of Al-Zahra Students group reported that amid the current wave of nationwide resistance to the mandatory hijab, "an unprecedented new chapter of case-making, harassment of students, and issuing severe sentences has begun."
It added that, in recent months, as many as 500 to 600 Al-Zahra students reportedly have received summonses to appear before the disciplinary committee.
Anger over the hijab rule, which mandates women cover their heads while in public, erupted in September 2022 when a young woman in Tehran died while in police custody for an alleged hijab violation. Since then, thousands of Iranians have taken to the streets to demand more freedoms and women's rights.
Numerous protests have been held at universities, particularly in Tehran, where many students have refused to attend classes. Protesting students have chanted "Woman, life, freedom!" and "Death to the dictator!" at the rallies. Some female students have removed and burned their head scarves.
Universities and students have long been at the forefront of the struggle for greater social and political freedoms in Iran. In 1999, students protested the closure of a reformist daily, prompting a brutal raid on the dorms of Tehran University that left one student dead.
Over the years, the authorities have arrested student activists and leaders, sentencing them to prison and banning them from studying.
The activist HRANA news agency says at least 700 university students have been arrested during the recent unrest.
Many have faced sentences such as imprisonment, flogging, and dozens of students have been expelled from universities or suspended from their studies, as security forces try to stifle widespread dissent.