The office of Meric Gertler, president of the University of Toronto, has published a statement under his name about the protests in Iran. Here you can find parts of the statement:
“Members of the University of Toronto community have been following the news from Iran with outrage and profound sadness since the killing of Mahsa Amini last month while in the custody of the government’s ‘morality police’. In recent days, reports of police brutality and other egregious human rights violations against student protesters at Iranian universities have deepened our concerns.”
“Such actions are anathema to us, as members of a community founded on the principles of academic freedom and freedom of expression. On behalf of the U of T community, I condemn the systemic violations of the rights of women that led to Mahsa Amini’s death. I reiterate our solemn commitment to the rights of women and to human rights in general. And I wish to express our solidarity with all those speaking out for justice in this crisis. I would also like to draw your attention to a statement issued today by Universities Canada, of which I am Chair, as well as the statement issued last week by Professor Kelly Hannah-Moffat, U of T’s Vice-President, People Strategy, Equity & Culture.”
“The University of Toronto is ready to help support students in Iran seeking refuge or asylum in Canada who wish to continue their studies at U of T. We will provide bursaries to them through our Scholars at Risk Award Program, and we will match all donations to the program up to $1 million. On top of this, the University will provide needs-based awards to international students from Iran who have been admitted to U of T, through the Iranian Student Memorial Scholarship Fund, which we established in 2020 in honour of the victims of Flight PS752. We will also continue working with our government partners to find pathways for student refugees and asylum seekers to come to Canada.”
