Mehdi Zakerian, an associate professor of international relations at Islamic Azad University, has been officially summoned to appear before the university’s disciplinary board for faculty members. The summons listed two charges against him: “advocating pro-Western ideas” and “holding extracurricular meetings with students outside the university premises without authorization.”
According to the official notice, the hearing was scheduled for Sunday, June 15, 2025, at the university’s Center for Legal Affairs and Asset Protection. Zakerian had previously declared that he would not attend such hearings, calling the allegations “baseless and unlawful.”
In a recent statement, referring to a phone call he received on August 3, 2025, Zakerian emphasized that the pressure against him has continued. He noted that even months after the scheduled June session, summonses and similar text messages are still being sent. He described this process as a “policy of repulsion” and an example of “creating insecurity within the academic environment.”
Zakerian stressed that accusing a tenured associate professor with more than 22 years of service and three decades of teaching experience is a clear sign of the ongoing repression of intellectual freedom in Iranian universities.
