About Us

Amirkabir NewsLetter began its activities in the late 1990s, initially recognized solely as the newsletter of the Islamic Association of Amirkabir University Students (Polytechnic Association). Published in print under the name AKU-News, it was founded by student activists at Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic), with support from members of the Office for Strengthening Unity. The editorial board was restructured annually with the selection of a new central council for the Polytechnic Association.

The Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic of Iran has repeatedly pressured Amirkabir NewsLetter. For example, following the arrest of Yashar Qajar—responsible for the newsletter’s website and secretary of the Islamic Association of Students at Polytechnic in 2006—he was sentenced in 2009 to two years in prison and 148 lashes. One charge against him was launching the Amirkabir Newsletter website. Documents published by “Edalat-e-Ali” in their hack of judiciary files revealed a complaint dated February 16, 2009, filed by the Basij Resistance Force of the IRGC and the Intelligence Directorate of the Law Enforcement Force (NAJA), as well as a subsequent complaint filed on November 17, 2009, by Heydari, an investigator at Branch 903 of the Mashhad Prosecutor’s Office, against Amirkabir Newsletter.

With the rise of the internet and significant societal events in Iran during the 2000s—such as the 1999 commemoration of the attack on Tehran University Dormitory, student protests against Hashem Aghajari’s death sentence in 2002, Tehran protests in mid-2003, and the 2005 presidential election boycott—the newsletter expanded its reach by publishing online. It is considered the first Iranian student media platform to go digital.

After the destruction of the Polytechnic Islamic Association’s office in 2006, Amirkabir Newsletter continued unofficially and became an influential voice in the Iranian student movement of the late 1990s and early 2000s. However, its activity decreased after the arrest of 10 Polytechnic students in 2008 and the filtering of its website 20 days before the 2009 presidential elections. Despite these challenges, it remained an active student media outlet until 2009.

With a relatively freer university environment, Amirkabir Newsletter resumed its activities in 2015 by launching a Telegram channel.

During the “Women, Life, Freedom” uprising in 2022, it intensified its efforts, shedding light on human rights violations in Iranian universities, including Amirkabir University of Technology. Its reports often garnered hundreds of thousands of views.

In 2023, Amirkabir Newsletter published over 20 confidential security documents, sparking widespread reactions. Notably, its list of 2,843 students suppressed by Iranian security organizations was referenced in the United Nations Truth Commission report.

On November 2, 2024, Amirkabir NewsLetter exclusively reported on Ahoo Daryaei, known as the “Girl of Sciences and Research,” a French Language and Literature student at Islamic Azad University’s Science and Research Branch. She suffered horrific violence at the hands of a Basij officer during a peaceful protest, where security forces forcibly tore her clothing. In a bold act of civil disobedience, Ahoo Daryaei responded by removing all her clothing, publicly protesting the violence and demanding justice while raising awareness about her violated rights. She was subsequently abducted by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Intelligence Organization.

The incident quickly gained international attention, with major media outlets like The Guardian, Fox News, and France 24 covering the story. Within a month, it prompted the European Parliament to adopt a human rights resolution emphasizing women’s rights against the Islamic Republic.