PRESS RELEASE May 27, 2026
The Alliance Against Islamic Regime of Iran Apologists (AAIRIA) welcomes the University of Arkansas’ decision to move forward with the removal of Shirin Saeidi from her tenured position.
For years, Saeidi has attempted to portray herself publicly as a victim and martyr of “freedom of speech.” However, the growing controversy surrounding her conduct was never fundamentally about freedom of speech. It was about accountability, professional ethics, institutional rules, and the treatment of others whose lives and testimonies she used in her academic work.
Tenure exists to protect academic freedom, open inquiry, and lawful expression. It does not grant immunity from university procedures, ethical standards, or institutional regulations. Freedom of speech is not freedom to ignore bureaucracy, violate university policies, misrepresent sources, or dismiss concerns raised by those directly affected by one’s work.
Multiple individuals, including former political prisoners and victims of the Islamic Republic of Iran, have publicly challenged the accuracy and ethics of Saeidi’s representations of their identities, memoirs, and experiences. These concerns include allegations of distortion, fabrication, misleading framing, and the presentation of individuals’ views in ways they strongly dispute.
AAIRIA also calls on Cambridge University and Cambridge University Press to conclude their ongoing investigation into the ethical and scholarly concerns surrounding Saeidi’s work. The prolonged delay in resolving these matters has deepened concerns regarding institutional accountability and research integrity.
Academic institutions must understand that survivors of political repression are not raw material for career advancement, ideological experimentation, or prestige-building. Their pain, memories, and testimonies deserve accuracy, dignity, and ethical treatment.
AAIRIA believes that genuine academic freedom depends on trust, rigor, transparency, and accountability. When those principles are undermined, universities have a responsibility to act.
