Students Risk Lives In Iran Protest Movement

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

TEHRAN (Worthy News) – Students held protests across about 20 provinces in Iran on Saturday against educational policies imposed by the country’s Islamic rulers despite the risk of a potentially deadly crackdown, witnesses said.

Video footage obtained by Worthy News and shared by Iran International showed students in the central city of Isfahan chanting slogans including, “Shout it out, shout it out — shout your rights.” Similar protests were previously crushed by security forces, with numerous sources reporting that thousands were killed or injured in earlier demonstrations.

The students were protesting sudden changes to university entrance exam regulations and academic record policies. They also accused Education Minister Alireza Kazemi of “blatantly ignoring” severe challenges facing students, including widespread internet disruptions, economic hardship, transportation difficulties, and mounting psychological pressures as Iran continues to face U.S. and Israeli military attacks.

Despite these concerns, Kazemi insisted that final examinations must be held in person, saying there was no option for remote testing.

STUDENTS ISSUE ULTIMATUM

Earlier in the week, students in the capital, Tehran, staged a sit-in, delivering a clear ultimatum to authorities.

“We are waiting for results, we won’t go anywhere, and we’ll stay right here,” protesters declared. “This generation is not a generation that retreats with promises and repetitive words; it pursues its rights.”

The demonstrations quickly spread beyond the capital.

In the cities of Mashhad and Hamedan, students took to the streets on June 2 to voice opposition to what they described as the regime’s “systemic injustice” in education. They specifically criticized what they called unfair educational metrics, including a newly implemented Grade Point Average (GPA) system used to evaluate academic performance.

ANGER OVER EDUCATION POLICIES

Protesters were heard chanting slogans including: “Students will die, but will not accept humiliation,” “Students are awake, they despise discrimination,” “We heard many promises, we saw no justice,” “Enough psychological pressure, give us our lives back,” and “Until we get our rights, we will not rest.”

The demonstrations are the latest sign of growing frustration within Iranian society as the country faces the prospect of renewed U.S. and Israeli military action if no ceasefire agreement is reached.

Iranian authorities are using wartime conditions to intensify repression through mass arrests, fast-tracked prosecutions, political executions, and lengthy prison sentences, according to Amnesty International.

The rights group said late last month that more than 6,000 people had been arbitrarily arrested since the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran began on February 28. Those detained reportedly include protesters, journalists, lawyers, human rights defenders, political dissidents, and members of ethnic and religious minorities.

RIGHTS GROUPS SOUND ALARM

Amnesty International said authorities had also carried out at least 39 political executions during the same period.

Additionally, families of people killed during Iran’s January protests say names and burial records have disappeared from Tehran’s Behesht-e Zahra cemetery database, raising concerns that authorities may be attempting to erase evidence of the deaths.

Opposition-linked broadcaster Iran International reported that searches of the cemetery’s public database for dozens of people allegedly killed during the January 7 and 8 protests returned no results, or only unrelated names with different birth and death dates.

The findings suggest that burial details, including names, cemetery sections, row numbers, and grave locations, may have been removed from the system. According to numerous sources, thousands are believed to have died during the January unrest, although the exact toll remains disputed amid tight government restrictions on independent reporting and verification.

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