Saint Louis University joined more than 200 universities worldwide in holding a Campus Rally for Iran on Wednesday, Nov. 30. The global event was led by Iranian Scholars for Liberty, a collective of faculty and students from nearly 100 educational institutions in North America.  

SLU’s Center for Social Action and Cross-Cultural Center for Global Citizenship worked with faculty and students to coordinate the rally, which drew dozens of attendees to the iconic clock tower. Amina Mohammadalipour, Ph.D., an assistant professor of experimental biophysics, was one of the organizers of the event.

“Universities and academia have had a significant role throughout history in the fight against dictatorial regimes across the globe,” she said. “As a member of the SLU community, I believe we have the platform in the unity of the academic voice to condemn human rights violations in Iran and to advance the world toward peace and equality.”

Saint Louis University President Fred P. Pestello, Ph.D., attended the rally and said it is important that SLU stand in support of its Iranian students and scholars who are raising their voices for human rights, dignity and freedom.

“Central to our mission is the preservation of human dignity and the promotion of human rights. That is why we are here today,” Pestello said before the rally got underway.

During the rally, Nikolay Remizov, a second-year biology major, said the event was meant to amplify the voices of Iranians who have been protesting for weeks since the Sept. 16 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in the custody of Iran’s morality police for not wearing her hijab appropriately.

“We are here to express our solidarity with the people of Iran who are uprising against the oppressive Islamic regime that has engaged in what can only be described as a crime against humanity,” Remizov said.

Abtin Alizadeh, a first-year biomedical engineering student, read a statement from the Iranian Scholars for Liberty, which calls upon the academic community to raise its voice in solidarity with Iranians at a time many students and academics are being assaulted, detained, abducted and held in unknown locations.

“The imminent risk to students’ lives and safety in Iran is extremely dire that requires immediate action and attention from all who have the freedom of speech,” Alizadeh read.

After the rally, attendees were invited to the Center for Global Citizenship, where they made phone calls to Congressional leaders, urging them to publicly support resolutions in the House and Senate that commend the bravery, courage and resolve of the women and men of Iran who are risking their safety to speak out against the Iranian regime's human rights abuses.