Women’s Dorm Searched at Allameh University

Over the last few days, authorities in a women’s dormitory inside Allameh Tabatabaee University in Tehran have stormed and searched student residences several times, a human rights source told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. According to the source, authorities confiscated a student’s laptop computer following this illegal action, searched all the files on the device, and caused the student to be expelled from the dormitory for “keeping immoral films.”

According to the source, several other students were also banned from staying in the dormitory because they had worn a headscarf instead of a maqna’eh as their Islamic hejab.

“This is not the first time the dormitory officials have abruptly searched the rooms and the students’ personal items,” one of the student residents of the women’s dormitory at Allameh University told the Campaign. “The dormitory manager has asked the students to provide their roommates’ personal and private information to the dormitory’s Cultural Affairs. This type of snitching on students is considered part of ‘student activities.’”

The source told the Campaign, “Since October 2011, more strict monitoring measures to control the conduct and communications of students residing inside Allameh Tabatabaee University’s dormitories have become visible through installation of surveillance cameras inside the university dormitory buildings. Also, the Internet Hall of the dormitory is now routinely visited by dormitory officials during various hours of the day, aiming to monitor the students’ Internet activities.”

The source added that in describing these monitoring activities, students at Allameh Tabatabaee University refer to the dorms as “the glass room.”