Iranian University Expels Top Surgeon Who Defied Hijab Rules

The European Parliament awarded the prestigious prize to both the student who was killed by Iranian police, and the Woman Life, Freedom protest movement.

Saleh Nikbakht, an academic and lawyer representing Mahsa Amini's family, along with Afsoon Najafi, and Mersedeh Shahinkar, Iranian women's rights defenders who left Iran in 2023, stood as representatives for the laureates.

Opening the award ceremony, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola announced: “This years’ Sakharov prize… serves as a tribute to all the brave and defiant women, men and young people in Iran, who despite coming under increasing pressure, are continuing the fight for their rights and push for change.ʺ

On September 13, 2022, Mahsa, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman, was apprehended by Tehran police for purportedly defying Iran's mandatory hijab. She succumbed to injuries inflicted during her time in custody, dying in the hospital three days later.

The death of Amini sparked nationwide protests predominantly led by women.

En route to France to accept the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought on December 8, the parents and brother of Amini were met by a roadblock at Tehran airport where Iranian authorities halted them and confiscated their passports.

In Strasbourg, the family was represented by their attorney, Saleh Nikbakht, who relayed a message from Amini's mother, Mozhgan Eftekhari saying: “Mahsa’s grief is eternal to me, and she is undying for people all over the world. I firmly believe that her name, beside that of Joan of Arc, will remain a symbol of freedom.”

Established in 1988, the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, named in honor of Soviet physicist and political dissident Andrei Sakharov, is awarded each year by the European Parliament to honor individuals and organizations defending human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Mowlavi Abdolhamid, the outspoken Friday Prayers Imam of Zahedan, denounced the attack in a tweet on Monday night, calling it a "provocative move by military and security forces" of the Islamic Republic.

He said "dozens of religious students" were arrested during the raid, which he claimed shows that provincial authorities are not genuinely concerned about the peace of the people in the province.

Halvash, a news outlet covering the province, has reported the detention of "at least 253 students."

The “pretext” for the raids was the “expulsion of foreign nations”, according to a statement from the Zahedan Seminary Teachers' Society.

The authorities of the Islamic Republic have not yet issued a response to the reports.

Over the past four decades, the Islamic Republic has imposed extensive restrictions on religious minorities in Iran, including Sunni communities.

Mowlavi Abdolhamid had previously criticized the Islamic Republic for prohibiting the establishment of Sunni mosques in major cities in Iran. He has also expressed support for the nationwide protests titled Woman, Life, Freedom over the past year, a stance that has provoked discontent from the authorities of the Islamic Republic.

Mohammad Hossein Poursani, the Director-General of Cultural and Artistic Affairs at the Ministry of Education in Iran, raised concerns over "the areas of chastity, hijab, fashion, and clothing among students".

He said: "The subject of fashion and clothing in education aims to familiarize students with Islamic-Iranian clothing, and the outcome of this effort should be that students become acquainted with and practically use Islamic-Iranian clothing.

"The Ministry of Education, considering the diversity of activities, should pay special attention to the implementation of activities and programs in the field of chastity and hijab."

In recent months, hardliners in Iran have attempted to impose strict hijab rules in public spaces, including government offices, schools, universities, and hospitals.

However, many women continue to defy the imposed hijab regulations.

Social media images depict an increasing number of women appearing in public without head coverings, despite potential consequences from hijab enforcers. Some celebrities who participated in the Woman, Life, Freedom protests, where they removed their hijabs, continue to defy re-imposing it, even at the risk of being banned from work.

His wife Tanaz Kolahchian revealed the news of his release on Monday.

Davoudi had created a channel on the social media platform Telegram through which he highlighted human rights abuses in the Islamic Republic.

Found guilty by a revolutionary court on charges of "propaganda against the state" and "insulting officials," Davoudi was sentenced to 30 years in jail and 111 lashes.

He was also alleged to have “collaborated with an enemy state" in giving an interview to Voice of America Persian-language television.

In April, Davoudi’s lawyer Vahid Farahani said that Davoudi was accused of "establishing a group to overthrow the system" in an interview with the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran.

Davoudi is among a number of distinguished defense lawyers jailed in Iran for carrying out their legal duties.

A 38-year sentence given to defense attorney Nasrin Sotoudeh in 2019 drew widespread international condemnation before her release two years into her term.

Without recourse to defense attorneys held for executing their professional responsibilities, defendants on politically motivated charges are compelled to select their legal representation from a list of state-approved lawyers.

The complaint has been lodged by three former political prisoners who seem to have narrowly escaped the Islamic Republic’s “prison massacres” of 1988.

Ebrahim Raisi was a member of the infamous Death Committee in Iran, which oversaw summary execution of between two to five thousand political prisoners in 1988.

The three survivors have accused Raisi of crimes against humanity, including genocide, torture, and extrajudicial executions. They have asked the Swiss federal public prosecutor to arrest and prosecute him.

Raisi was scheduled to participate in the United Nations Global Refugee Forum in Geneva, but UN officials told AFP on Monday evening that the Iranian delegation would be led by foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

It is unclear whether the change of plans –if confirmed– has been forced by the legal bid to arrest Raisi.

The legal complaint contends that Raisi played a pivotal role in the Death Committee. His role has been all but established by scores of testimonies, and by an audio recording of the meeting in which members of the Committee seek blessings of Hossein Ali Montazeri, the Supreme Leader’s deputy at the time.

In 2018, Amnesty International published a 180-page report on the “1988 prison massacres”, documenting summary execution of political prisoners in Tehran and 15 more cities across Iran. Ebrahim Raisi is one of the very few people to have been accused of crimes against humanity in that report. 

In tandem with the legal action, an international campaign has been launched against Raisi’s involvement in the UN refugee forum. The signatories –including Nobel laureates, judges, academics, and UN rights experts– call for Raisi’s prosecution for past and ongoing crimes under international law.

"We firmly believe that the United Nations, as a bastion of human rights and justice, should not compromise its reputation by extending an invitation to an individual accused of grave human rights violations," reads the petition. "His presence at the UN forum contradicts the fundamental values the UN stands for."

The campaigners have asked the UN to "promptly rescind its invitation to Raisi," arguing that the institution’s reputation would be marred by extending an invitation to an individual accused of severe human rights violations.

“His regime beats, blinds and poisons Iranian women and girls,” wrote Hillel Neuer, an international human rights lawyer and the executive director of UN Watch. “Any democratic leader that meets with this terrorist will be rewarding evil.”

Responding to the petition, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), defended Iran's participation, stating that the country is a UN member state with a significant number of refugees.

"The Iranian delegation will be led by the foreign minister," a spokesperson for UNHCR said in an email, according to AFP.

The UN Global Refugee Forum will be held in Geneva 13-15 December. It is held every four years with the aim of “easing pressures on host countries, enhancing refugee self-reliance, increasing access to third-country solutions and improving conditions in countries of origin.”

The 2023 forum is hosted by Switzerland and UNHCR, and co-convened by Colombia, France, Japan, Jordan and Uganda.