One of the crises in Iran under the rule of the mullahs is the “tsunami of immigration” and “brain drain.” This issue has become a topic of discussion in many of the regime’s media outlets.
On August 22, state-run Aftab Yazd newspaper wrote, “Recently, a report published the list of elite students with high grades in university admission exams showed these people are not intending to enroll in university, but are thinking to migrate and among them some have already chosen their country of destination.”
On August 23, state-run Bahar News website referred to the reason behind the increase in migration statistics and wrote, “As long as the social atmosphere of a country is poisoned, migration is a common and usual event… A poisoned society is an atmosphere in which the social atmosphere is not befitting; In other words, the arena comprised of limited freedom of speech, lack of peace of mind, high unemployment, low incomes and degrading living conditions, and a thousand and one other problems.”
The spread and severity of repression, high prices, unemployment, poverty and a thousand and one other problems in the corrupt system of the regime, cause millions of Iranians to immigrate by accepting the risk of displacement and family disintegration. This is another form of genocide and silent killings by the regime. On August 23, state-run Setareh Sobh newspaper wrote, “Millions of Iranian people are interested in emigrating and leaving the country. It is not clear, in doing so, what destiny awaits them. However, there is so much pressure on their lives that it leaves them no choice but take refuge to the mountains, the plains, and the sea. Even though they’re not even sure if they will reach their destination alive, but take this risky journey.
On August 25, state-run Fararu website, referring to the astonishing statistics of brain drain from Iran, wrote, “Eighty percent of elites in the fields of mathematics and physics between 2001 and 2016 have emigrated from the country. On average, 78 percent of them have not returned to the country… The data in 2018 in the fields of mathematics and physics shows that only two out of ten top students in year 2001 have remained in Iran.”
Fararu further admits, “In Iran, not only adopted policies that drive elite students away, but there is an attitude of indifference by officials toward departing elites from the country.”
Beyond this approach, the reality is that the covert killings and the inevitable migration of elite students are part of the regime’s “purification” project and its policy to contract power and opportunities within the shrinking circle of regime loyalists.
On August 23, state-run Etemad newspaper wrote, “The strategy of purification which was formed previously in the field of politics and administration of the country, has now permeated to trade union, civil and academic institutions and is taking victims. This type of behavior is in line with severing universities from national development arena.”
The regimes Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, extended his contraction policy and “purification” plan from Majlis (Parliament) to the society, university and professors, and simultaneously and secretly replaced the dismissed professors and students by a handful of his mercenaries and loyalists.
On Auguest 20, state-run Hammihan newspaper wrote, “Now the outstanding question is who is going to replace these dismissed professors? A document has been published by university groups that shows that the government has secretly started the process of recruiting 15,000 loyal faculty members that in a sense contradicts with the existing scientific framework of the universities.”
It doesn’t take much thinking to extend the regime’s behavior and conclude that these 15,000 regime forces that are entering universities and educational institutions are not the intellectual equivalents of the elite students and professors that are leaving, but are Basij members and regime loyalists who are there to ensure the regime’s security priorities and prevent universities from becoming hubs of protest against the regime.
Therefore, by this arrangement, the ground for departure of this valuable social capital will be prepared.
On August 23, state-run newspaper Setareh Sobh wrote, “The indifference attitude by some officials towards experts and elites that consider them a nuisance, the consequence of this approach is that they chose to leave and migrate to another country. It seems like there is this inclination that these elites are unwanted and there is some deliberation behind make them leave the country in order to be replaced with yes men who are devoid of intelligence, creativity, and critical thinking.”