According to reports received by HANA Human Rights Organization, Amirmohammad Karimi and Mahyar Eftekhari, two University of Tehran students enrolled in 2025 in the polymer engineering program, have been expelled by the university’s disciplinary committee.
According to information received, both students had previously faced suspension orders. Amirmohammad Karimi’s expulsion was issued in absentia, while he was in detention and denied the right to attend the proceedings or defend himself. Mahyar Eftekhari had also previously been sentenced in absentia by the disciplinary committee to a two semester suspension.
According to this report, the recent expulsion orders were issued following new disciplinary cases brought against the two students on charges of “burning the flag of the Islamic Republic.” Informed sources have pointed to serious irregularities and violations in the handling of these cases, stressing that the process failed to meet basic standards of fair trial, including the right to defense, the right to be informed of the charges in advance, and the right to a review by an independent and impartial body.
In this context, Hossein Simaei Sarraf, the Minister of Science, Research and Technology, had recently stated that those who burned the flag of the Islamic Republic would face action not only through judicial prosecution but also through universities’ disciplinary committees and councils.
The right to education is among the fundamental rights enshrined in international human rights instruments, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The issuance of expulsion orders amid reports of proceedings conducted in absentia, denial of the right to defense, and violations of due process raises serious concerns about the systematic violation of students’ right to education and their fundamental rights.