Faculty Senate Statement in Condemnation of Attacks on Iranian Students

December 15th, 2022
in News

Statement in Condemnation of Attacks on Iranian Students

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
–Martin Luther King, Jr., Letter from Birmingham, Alabama jail, 1963.

On September 16^th, women-led protests erupted across Iran in reaction to the death of Mahsa (Jina) Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman arrested and beaten to death while in custody of Iran’s so-called “Morality Police” for allegedly wearing her hijab “improperly”. The protests have not abated despite severe internet blockades, an all-out violent crackdown by security forces using excessive and lethal force, and a growing death toll. According to human rights groups, more than 402 protesters, including at least 58 minors, have been killed [1-3]. As many as 18,000 protestors have been arrested, including 524 students [3].

On October 2^nd, 2022, students at Sharif University of Technology, the most prestigious university in Iran, were participating in peaceful protests. Anti-riot forces stormed the university campus and started attacking and arresting the students [4]. Since this attack, there have been many similar attacks in different schools of different ranks [5,6]. Tear gas has been fired in a school, and several high schoolers have been arrested or killed by the armed forces [7-10].

These unspeakable attacks against students, especially on campuses, are assaults on the sanctity of education, academia, and fundamental human rights.

Women’s rights are human rights. Freedom of expression is a foundational tenet of universities around the world. We, the University of Alabama Senate, condemn these attacks and severe acts of aggression against universities, schools, and students in Iran, and stand in solidarity with those in Iran and elsewhere who stand up for equity and speak out against injustice.

“What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.”

– Nelson Mandela

Zan, Zendegi, Azadi

Woman, Life, Freedom

Approved by the Faculty Senate-12/13/2022