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Iranwire – The Student Rights Defense Working Group at the Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST) has reported that a number of students have recently received text messages demanding that they submit their legal defense via email by May 2.
These messages were sent to students who participated in campus rallies during the January protests. The demand for an “email defense” comes while universities have been operating remotely for months and Iranian users have been cut off from the internet for over two months. Furthermore, this procedure contradicts the 2024 disciplinary code.
The IUST Student Rights Defense Working Group emphasized that, according to disciplinary guidelines, once a case is filed, a student must first be informed of the charges in person and then attend an in-person defense hearing. Additionally, a note in Article 82 of these regulations states that holding hearings remotely or via telephone and issuing verdicts based on such proceedings lacks legal validity.
Student activists view this move as a sign of continued disciplinary pressure on students within the current securitized environment.
