Iran's universities have turned into a battleground between the authorities and protesters. Campuses have been the site of bloody government crackdowns following anti-government demonstrations led by students.
As prominent cultural figures in Iran urge the authorities to stop using force against protesting civilians, Tehran is resorting to arrests and the activation of aged jail sentences in an attempt to silence them.
A group of Iranian campaigners who were planning to sue the authorities, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, for their mismanagement of the COVID-19 pandemic have been sentenced to prison. The five lawyers and rights defenders were convicted of threatening national security.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has condemned a new prison sentence handed to prominent Iranian human rights defender Narges Mohammadi and called on Tehran to "immediately and unconditionally" release her.