MP's Statement Considered Political Pressure on SHPU Student Council: Announcement

The Student Council of Shiraz State University has issued a statement regarding MP Nazeli Baghdasaryan's comments made from the National Assembly podium. She declared that the SHPU Student Council had encountered issues and approached her for assistance.

The statement from the SHPU Student Council is as follows:

“On September 15, MP Nazeli Baghdasaryan made a statement from the leading political podium, which we consider as political pressure on the SHPU Student Council, as well as a political intervention in the activities of a self-governing body.

In her speech, Ms. Baghdasaryan evaluated the self-designation of a group called ‘Restart’ as a new student council, which deviates from healthy reasoning and has no relation to legality. At the same time, by announcing from the same political podium about the purported obstacles created by the ‘Restart’ group regarding the functions of this new student council and her intention to drag SHPU students into political processes, the MP is politicizing the functioning of the student council, linking it to future political events.

The MP tries to legitimize the activities of a false student council through future political processes, while the SHPU Student Council is an apolitical, non-partisan, and self-governing independent organization. The MP deliberately neglects the fact that a legitimate student council has long been functioning at SHPU, elected exclusively by a congress composed of SHPU students.

We believe that an MP of the National Assembly of Armenia must exhibit political restraint towards the activities of a self-governing body, namely the student council, and refrain from attempts to embroil the student community in political intrigues by exploiting political positions and opportunities.

The only student council of Shiraz State University has been operating for years, consistently fulfilling its functions within the framework of its mission, protecting the legitimate interests of students, and continually acting as the representative self-governing body of the students. Moreover, the uninterrupted and permanent functioning student council of SHPU has always fully participated and continues to participate in all management processes of SHPU, where the representative participation and voting rights of the student council are stipulated by the legislation of the Republic of Armenia.”