Press Release
The Haue, Netherlands – November 12, 2025
With the aim of enlightening its audience and the academic community, the Institute of Social Sciences and Humanities (ISSH), also known as Iran Academia, considers a recent report aired by the Iranian government’s state-run media to be untrustworthy and emphasizes its commitment to academic independence and free access to knowledge.
Statement:
Iran Academia assesses the report published by the Iranian government’s state-run media, affiliated with its intelligence agencies, on the “Identification of 400 core members of Iran Academia”, as unfounded and aimed at creating an atmosphere of intimidation among the Iranian public, researchers, and scholars. The purpose of this statement is not to respond to entities lacking media prestige and credibility, but rather to enlighten and express Iran Academia assessment in respect for its audience.
Iran Academia is an independent platform for knowledge exchange that focuses on educational and research fields and does not pursue any political goals or programs. Since its establishment in 2012, the philosophy of Iran Academia has been to respond to the violation of academic freedom, university autonomy, and the provision of the right to education, especially for those deprived of access to free education and vulnerable groups. The academic and critical approach of this university and its independence from the censorship system are the main reasons for the simultaneous hostility of repressive apparatus and other authoritarian currents towards it.
We, as an independent university, pride ourselves on establishing a unique and progressive model of democratized education for free access to quality educational, research, and academic publishing spaces in accordance with international standards. We enjoy more than a decade of relentless efforts in providing educational and research opportunities and success in gaining the trust of prominent academic figures, gathering international support, and generous public donations.
Our team consists of internationally recognized university professors and colleagues, and beyond that, we have no members in Iran or elsewhere in the world. The presence of all the scholars and researchers who have so far used the free academic platforms of this institution, such as conferences or the infrastructure for publishing academic and research articles, to publish their findings and advance academic dialogue is reflected publicly and transparently on the Iran Academia website in the form of more than 400 profiles and is accessible to everyone. Therefore, the claim of “identifying 400 members” is meaningless and aimed at intimidating the researchers and scholarly community.
Also, as has always been emphasized, having a profile on Iran Academia websites does not in any way mean institutional affiliation and is only for digital representation, introducing academic works, and facilitating access of researchers and interested parties to the results of research, and based on the well-known principle of copyright and respect for intellectual property rights.
It is worth emphasizing that all content published on Iran Academia platforms is written and presented voluntarily and free of charge, and no payment is made to authors and researchers for their contributions and/or research. Iran Academia belongs to and believes in the movement for open access to academic content and considers its role to be the publication and facilitation of open access to academic and research content.
Since the “Cultural Revolution” of 1980 in Iran, the Iranian government has sought ideological supervision and complete control over universities throughout the country and considers independent academic institutions, such as Iran Academia, a threat to itself. Research and experience show that authoritarian governments are not reconciled with academic independence, and critical thinking, and in the face of a crisis of legitimacy, they always resort to threatening and intimidating intellectuals, researchers, academics, and independent academic institutions. Iran Academia condemns these actions and insists on its commitment to freedom of thought, academic independence, and the expansion of critical knowledge.
Executive Board of Iran Academia
