On the eve of the student unrest on July 9, 1999, when the government violently and brutally attacked a <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Tehran</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype></st1:place> dormitory resulting in death, university officials on Monday announced the university shut for the next two weeks. Meanwhile, the student affairs deputy at the Science Ministry announced that the ministry was reviewing recent events at universities and would soon bar all dissident students from continuing their education.

The deputy's threat comes at a time when the fate of dozens of students arrested during recent popular protests to the June 12 election rigging remains unknown, and student activists continue to be arrested and threatened. 

Since July 9, 1999, university officials acting in coordination with the Science Ministry have closed down Tehran University’s dormitory every year for several days on the anniversary of the 1999 brutaility.  This year, however, in light of the massive popular and student protests, the closure was extended to two weeks.  As such, all university examinations too have been postponed for one month.

Students Threatened

In addition to the university's two-week closure and postponement of student examinations, the Ministry’s deputy threatened that students who had part in the protests against the election coup would be barred from continuing their higher education.  "Students who committed errors during the recent presidential election have damaged not only the nation's property rights but also its spiritual rights.  Therefore, they will be confronted and barred from higher education if necessary," he said.

Speaking to reporters at the forty-fifth conference of university administrators and student advisors, deputy Mahmoud Mobasheri announced, "Every student who was active in recent protests will be severely punished.  The Ministry is currently compiling information and will announce its decision regarding students involved in such acts before and after the election."

It must be noted that following an attack by plain-clothed officers and members of the Ansar Hezbollah militia on Monday, June 15, dozens of students were detained and hundreds injured.  The attack was so violent that the Majlis formed a truth-finding committee to investigate the matter.  The committee, however, concluded its investigation without reaching a conclusion after several days in which the Majlis was closed and pressures were abound to hide the role of Ansar Hezbollah militia and plain-clothed forces in the attack.