January 16, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- Recent reports indicate that the Iranian government is intensifying restrictions on activist students and universities, although Iran's education minister has dismissed reports of such pressure and said the authorities have so far been "lenient" on universities and students
A recent students rally in Tehran
The pressure applied by the state on universities has taken various forms: students have been summoned to university disciplinary boards for alleged misconduct, suspended from classes for various periods of time, student newspapers have been shut down, and university directors and professors have been dismissed, and students have been denied entry to graduate schools due to their political activism.
"Radicalism in the student movement is caused by the ninth government's treatment of student activists and legal formations at universities."
Star Students
These are the so-called "starred" students -- named because stars or asterisks have been placed next to their names on official lists.
In the past several weeks, the Iranian media have documented several instances of restrictive or punitive measures against students.
In one case, the editor of the student review "Farhang-i Mubarez" at Shahrud University, east of Tehran, was summoned to the disciplinary board there following complaints by city officials that items in the review had insulted local officials, ISNA reported on January 2.
The same day, ILNA reported the closure of the student union at Bu Ali Sina University in Hamedan, western Iran.In another instance, an official of the Jandishapur Medical University in Ahwaz, southwestern Iran, spoke to ISNA on January 3 about a number of students facing unspecified punishments after someone allegedly complained about their "disrespect for student norms."
ISNA reported the same day that 11 medical students from Shahr-i Kurd in western Iran had been summoned to the disciplinary board of the Shahr-i Kurd Medical Science University to answer questions over reported rowdiness in dormitories, though student Aref Fadai told ISNA he thought this was an "excuse.
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