Iran's Crackdown on University Professors: Academic Purges and Protest Support

The expulsion of professors from prestigious universities in Iran has sparked a debate over whether their terminations are linked to their support for last year's nationwide protests. While the universities themselves have not explicitly connected the expulsions to the protests, various users online, former officials, and local media have made the connection. The Ministry of Interior defended the expulsions, stating that the professors had succumbed to "academic decline" and were "tainting universities" with a political bias. Reactions to the expulsions have been mixed, with proponents praising the actions and critics expressing concerns about the negative transformation of universities. There are reports of new figures closer to the establishment being placed in universities across the country, leading to further backlash. Some media outlets have likened the developments to a second "cultural revolution," reminiscent of the large-scale purge of academics in the 1980s.