Two University of Tehran Students Face Expulsion; Cases Under Appeal

Breathing in Confinement, Monday, 17 August 2026: Amirmohammad Karimi and Mahyar Eftekhari, two undergraduate polymer engineering students who entered the University of Tehran in 2025, have received initial expulsion rulings following disciplinary proceedings at the university.

According to reporters from Breathing in Confinement, the news outlet of the Prisoners’ Rights League in Iran, Mohammad Hossein Omid, President of the University of Tehran, announced that the two students had been expelled over allegations described as “insulting the flag of the Islamic Republic,” adding that their cases are currently under appeal.

Previously, while Amirmohammad Karimi was in detention, the university’s disciplinary committee sentenced him in absentia to a two-semester suspension from his studies, without full observance of the procedures and legal requirements governing disciplinary proceedings. Mahyar Eftekhari had similarly been sentenced in absentia to a two-semester suspension.

However, as proceedings in their cases continued, expulsion rulings were subsequently issued against both students. The rulings were issued amid concerns and uncertainties regarding respect for the students’ right to defend themselves and compliance with the required legal procedures.

According to information received by Breathing in Confinement, disciplinary proceedings against the two students were initiated and pursued following allegations made by some members of the university’s Basij student organisation. Pressure exerted by these students reportedly influenced the handling of the cases and the disciplinary rulings issued against Karimi and Eftekhari.

The expulsion rulings against the two students are currently under appeal, and no final decision has yet been issued regarding whether they will be permitted to continue their studies.