Petition for Review of Professor Mostafa Papi's Conduct at Florida State University

This petition urges Florida State University to initiate an immediate and transparent review of Professor Mostafa Papi's conduct. His sustained promotion of Islamic Republic propaganda has caused profound distress within the Iranian diaspora and raises urgent questions about his fitness to represent a public American university.

For years, Professor Papi has advanced narratives aligned with the Islamic Republic of Iran—a regime whose military arm, the IRGC, is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada, and the European Union. His posts constitute a betrayal of the Iranian people's struggle for freedom and a calculated effort to erase regime responsibility for mass atrocities.

Documented Evidence of Propaganda and Conspiracy Theories:

January 22, 2025: Professor Papi shared content claiming "Israeli bullets found in bodies of children killed in recent Iran riots," suggesting Mossad agents—not the Islamic Republic—killed Iranian protesters. This conspiracy theory insults victims' families who witnessed their loved ones murdered by regime forces. These were our families, our friends, our community members—not casualties of foreign agents. This false narrative also represents a troubling pattern of antisemitic scapegoating that deflects blame from the Islamic Republic onto Israel.

January 17, 2025: He promoted a Financial Times article falsely claiming the regime showed "restraint" until "systematically organized terrorist protesters" started violence. This is regime propaganda used to justify crimes against humanity. The facts: over 40,000 killed in January 2026 uprising alone. The Islamic Republic opened fire on peaceful demonstrators—including children and elderly citizens—from day one.

January 15, 2025: Professor Papi posted "Probably 99% when they find out the whole thing was staged," claiming the Iranian freedom movement is fabricated. This dismisses the documented sacrifice of tens of thousands murdered, tortured, and executed. It is a direct assault on the memory of our families, friends and communities sacrificing their lives for a free and democratic Iran.

January 12, 2025 (multiple posts):

He shared an regime-staged AI-generated photo of pro-regime supporters, applauding it as "the real Iran", and dismissing the violence of Islamic Republic’s terrorist oppressive wing IRGC killing 40,000+ Iranians in 2026 alone.
He claimed women in Iran can walk freely without hijab, calling it "completely optional." This is a demonstrable lie. Mahsa Jina Amini was beaten to death in September 2022 because her headscarf didn't fully cover her hair—sparking the Woman Life Freedom uprising that cost 1,500 lives.
He shared content blaming U.S. sanctions for Iran's suffering, deflecting from the regime's corruption and theft of oil revenues to fund global terrorism through the IRGC. Sanctions targeted the regime's terrorist operations, not the Iranian people.
January 13, 2025: He attacked Iranian opposition figures, writing they are "calling on young people to pick up guns" and that "violent riots are being deliberately incited and coordinated." This victim-blaming rhetoric portrays massacred protesters as agitators rather than freedom fighters.

January 11, 2025: He shared a post from Trita Parsi, founder of the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), captioned "Operation for Syrianization of Iran in progress..." NIAC is a lobbying entity advancing Islamic Republic interests in the U.S., currently under intense community scrutiny for promoting false narratives and minimizing regime violence.

January 4, 2025: He posted "Lawlessness. Humiliation of a nation. Not cool, America!" demonstrating his pattern of hostility toward the United States while benefiting from its institutions, freedom and protections.

A Pattern of Betrayal:

Professor Papi's conduct is not academic inquiry—it is ideological advocacy for a terrorist-designated regime. While enjoying the safety and privileges of living in the United States, he persistently attacks American institutions, promotes regime propaganda, erases documented atrocities, and works to delegitimize the Iranian people's struggle for democracy in the eyes of the American public. His actions have caused widespread distress among Iranian Americans who fled persecution, leaving many feeling unsafe and silenced.

This is Not About Free Speech:

This petition calls for accountability and institutional responsibility. Professor Papi should not represent Florida State University while promoting dangerous conspiracy theories that blame Mossad for regime killings, claiming uprisings are "staged," falsely portraying women's oppression, victim-blaming martyred protesters as "terrorists," and advancing propaganda for a regime whose military is internationally recognized as a terrorist organization.

Florida State University must stand with academic integrity, human rights, and the memory of more than 40,000 killed in January 2026 by the hands of Islamic Republic regime—not with those who betray the Iranian people's blood and sacrifice under the cover of academia.