Iranian students expelled from university after allegedly burning flag of Islamic regime

What Happened

Amir-Mohammad Karimi and Mahyar Eghtesadi, engineering students at Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic), were expelled in absentia by the university's disciplinary committee after allegedly burning the flag of the Islamic regime and waving the pre-Islamic Revolution Lion and Sun flag, according to the university's student newspaper. The expulsions followed reports by student members of the Basij voluntary paramilitary force, an arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and were described by the Persian diaspora site Kayhan London as based on the 'fabricated charge' of creating chaos and disrupting the educational process. The move is part of a broader wave of expulsions: eight other students received expulsion notices at Sharif University of Technology, 16 at the University of Science and Technology of Iran, and four at Soureh University. Additionally, Reza Dalman, a master’s student in computer engineering at Sharif University, was sentenced to expulsion and a four-year ban from all universities in Iran after hanging a stuffed mouse from a tree in an act described as insulting to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to Iran International.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The expulsions underscore the Iranian regime's deepening repression of student activism, leveraging the Basij to monitor and punish symbolic dissent such as displaying pre-revolutionary symbols or insulting the Supreme Leader. This crackdown, marked by expulsions and multi-year study bans, targets a demographic that has historically been central to protests and signals an effort to deter campus unrest amid internal political turbulence. The use of fabricated charges and mass suspensions risks further alienating the youth and may fuel future unrest, while highlighting the IRGC's expanding domestic surveillance role.

Watch For

Further student expulsions and suspensions at Iranian universities, particularly in technical institutions. Monitor statements from rights monitors like HRANA and Iran Human Rights on the scale of disciplinary actions. Watch for any organized student protests or responses, especially in the upcoming academic term. Also observe indications of increased Basij activity on campuses and any expansion of surveillance measures targeting political expression.